FIT4016 is a specified elective unit in the Master of Digital Communications degree (MDC). Its introduction is based on two circumstances: (1) as part of the 2006 Faculty restructure, whereby all old units were progressively reviewed and mapped into new FIT coded units; and (2) as part of a review and restructure of the courseware units for the MDC, undertaken in 2006 at the same time as an Engineering Faculty review and restructure of their Master of Telecommunications degree. Previously the MDC has a specified elective unit CSE4892 Information Security. FIT4016 is a direct mapping from CSE4892

This unit has been updated as part of a 2009 review and comparison of data with current Handbook, Syllabus + and Callista data.

07/12/2017 - Unit disestablished at FEC 5/17 Item 7.3.

This is a fourth level specified elective in the Master of Digital Communications (MDC) (offered by the Faculty of Information Technology) and the MTC (offered by Engineering). It is also an approved elective for the Master of Computer Science (and may be taken by other coursework masters students and honours students with the required pre-requisite knowledge). This unit replaces CSE4892 in the Master of Digital Communications, a cognate degree offered by the Faculty of IT. It covers topics from the areas of network and information security.

This unit provides an introduction to aspects of network and information security. More advanced material on cryptography, secret and public key systems and applications is covered by CSE5210 Advances in Information Security. The unit builds upon assumed prerequisite knowledge at the level of an undergraduate introductory unit in Networks and Data Communications (such as the common core unit FIT1005/FIT2008 or equivalent).)

This unit provides graduates with advanced knowledge about a fundamental area within the field of digital communications, namely network and information security. This is a very important field in IT and hence knowledge of and skill in this area is essential for a wide range of IT employment. In addition, Digital communications and information security is an active area of research within the Faculty, and this unit (and the other MDC courseware units) contribute to the Faculty's research-teaching nexus.

At the completion of this unit students will have

A knowledge and understanding of:

• risks, threats and goals of information security;
• various controls and their effectiveness for information security in an organisation;
• how to evaluate the effectiveness (both in terms of performance and limitations) of individual control techniques;
• how to match the risk against controls and evaluate their applicability.

Developed attitudes that enable them to:

• appreciate the importance of information security in an organisation;
• appreciate the importance of the use of various controls and their effectiveness for information security in an organisation.

Developed the skills to:

• carry out an investigation into the selection and deployment of particular security measure and application technologies based on risk analysis as applied to information security in an organisation;
• use tools for counteracting risks and threats to information security.

Demonstrated the communication skills necessary to:

• communicate information on threats to information security and key appropriate controls and counter measure techniques in written and/or oral form;
• work individually or in a small group on an advanced topic related to information security in an organisation.

029901

This unit looks at a range of security problems in information systems, namely physical security, network security and software security. Within these areas, topics covered include risk analysis, authentification, access control, and crypto techniques. It looks at various management issues, including disparate application examples, distributed systems authentication, contingency planning, audit and review. A range of security applications are used as examples.

On-campus

Examination (2 hours): 60%; In-semester assessment: 40%

6

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk

FIT

Ann Nicholson