Students

COMP8310 – Security Technologies and Forensic Analysis

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Gaurav Gupta
gaurav.gupta@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
by appointment
Lecturer
Damian Jurd
damian.jurd@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
COMP6250
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit covers the fundamental technologies and processes that form the foundation of effective systems security management within modern organisations. We consider the underlying mechanics of information and communications technology security infrastructures, risk management, attack modelling, software security, firewalls, intrusion detection and forensics.

Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Analyse the key security requirements and trends in software security and interconnected systems. Identify key threats and analysis tools to evaluate security deficiencies.
  • ULO2: Analyse techniques for exploiting software and networks. Investigate operating system and file system platforms and identify attack surface.
  • ULO3: Design and/or apply security techniques to mitigate software and network attacks. Identification of tools and recovery mechanisms, including forensic analysis and process.
  • ULO4: Evaluate security techniques used to deal with the attacks and the limitations of forensic tools. 
  • ULO5: Present and discuss concepts related to software and network security at an advanced level.

General Assessment Information

Release Dates

  • Group Project - Sunday ending Week 7, 23:55
  • Practical activities report - Ongoing, over the session

Descriptions of Assessment Activities and Other Information

  • Submission of Assessments - Assessments need to be submitted via iLearn.
  • Marking of Assessments - Marks and feedback will be provided via iLearn with a turnaround time of 2.5 weeks for the assignments.

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit you must achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%

Late Submission Policy

  • 5% penalty per day: If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days.

    • Example 1 (out of 100): If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

    • Example 2 (out of 30): If you score 27/30 but submit 1 day late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

  • After 7 days: Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

  • Extensions:

    • Automatic short extension: Some assessments are eligible for automatic short extension. You can only apply for an automatic short extension before the due date.

    • Special Consideration: If you need more time due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted:

  • Group Project, PractIcal Activities Report – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
  • Final Examination - NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment.

If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the written assessments in this unit on time, please submit a Special Consideration request through http://connect.mq.edu.au/.

Final exam: If you miss the final exam due to a serious, unavoidable and significant disruption, contact your convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through http://connect.mq.edu.au/.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Final Examination 40% No Final Examination Period Individual No Observed
Group Project 30% No 23:55, Friday Week 10 Individual and Group No Open
Practical activities report 30% No 29/05/2026 Individual Yes Open

Final Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Final Examination Period
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

You will sit an exam during the final exam period covering topics covered in the lectures.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse the key security requirements and trends in software security and interconnected systems. Identify key threats and analysis tools to evaluate security deficiencies.
  • Analyse techniques for exploiting software and networks. Investigate operating system and file system platforms and identify attack surface.
  • Design and/or apply security techniques to mitigate software and network attacks. Identification of tools and recovery mechanisms, including forensic analysis and process.
  • Present and discuss concepts related to software and network security at an advanced level.

Group Project

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 23:55, Friday Week 10
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

You will work in a group to investigate and report on domain-specific challenges to the use of computer forensics.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse the key security requirements and trends in software security and interconnected systems. Identify key threats and analysis tools to evaluate security deficiencies.
  • Analyse techniques for exploiting software and networks. Investigate operating system and file system platforms and identify attack surface.
  • Design and/or apply security techniques to mitigate software and network attacks. Identification of tools and recovery mechanisms, including forensic analysis and process.
  • Evaluate security techniques used to deal with the attacks and the limitations of forensic tools. 
  • Present and discuss concepts related to software and network security at an advanced level.

Practical activities report

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 29/05/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

You will formally document practical activities relating to security technologies and forensics using an approved notebook (format, construction and layout) and the content of your documentation will be reviewed against a defined set of format and output requirements.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse techniques for exploiting software and networks. Investigate operating system and file system platforms and identify attack surface.
  • Design and/or apply security techniques to mitigate software and network attacks. Identification of tools and recovery mechanisms, including forensic analysis and process.
  • Evaluate security techniques used to deal with the attacks and the limitations of forensic tools. 

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Delivery and Resources

  • Lectures and Workshops commence in Week 01.
  • Lectures are held weekly and are two-hours long; a video of the lecture is automatically captured and will be available on iLearn/Echo360.  Lecture slides will be published on iLearn after the completion of the lecture.
  • Immediately following the lecture, there is a one-hour general consultation period where discussions and questions will be covered in an informal setting, such as an open lounge area near the lecture theatre or in a small Active Learning area.
  • All reading and viewing material for both background and to support learning outcomes is provided on iLearn and external information is listed in the lecture material.
  • Practical activities are designed to be undertaken off-campus at a time and location suitable to the indivudual student.
  • Students must use their own computer equipment to undertake the practical activities, a PC or Mac or Linux system is required as the practical activities cannot be undertaken on a phone or tablet.
  • Students MUST purchase and use a specific type of workbook that will be described in Week 1; ONLY an appropriate workbook will satisfy the requirements of the Week 13 workbook deliverable.

Unit Schedule

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
10/03/2026 inaccurate unit schedule removed

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook