Course Catalogue

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This course provides an introduction to the foundational aspects of information security, such as algorithms and protocols. It also covers the basics of blockchain technology and its potential applications.

This course will be timetabled in blocks, typically one week in four with tutorials and on-line support available between each block.

Mandatory Entry Requirements

None

Recommended Entry Requirements

none

none

Assessment

Examination  : 75%  

Set Exercise : 10%

Report. : 15%

There will be a final exam worth 75%. The lab sessions shall involve carrying out and solving some set exercise followed by submission of reports on the assigned exercises.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The course aims to equip the students with the capability to design, evaluate and analyse various constituent components of fundamental and information security.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Apply the algorithms behind a number of different cryptographic and communication solutions;

■ Interpret a number of different security protocols;

■ Evaluate an existing or proposed system in terms of potential vulnerabilities and recommend the most appropriate security solution to apply in a number of different scenarios;

■ Summarise the key vulnerabilities, threats, and attacks with regards to network security and explain approaches to mitigate these issues.

■ Evaluate the principles of distributed ledger technology (DLT) for potential applications.

■ Design and analyse various components of a DLT such blockchain.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.