ITEC624 - Network Security and Applications

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Teaching organisation

150 hours over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit offers a critical awareness of current developments, industry practices, and future trends in network security, web security, database security, and wireless security. In this unit, students will explore several tools and techniques to combat threats such as malware, intrusion, social engineering, data leakage or zero-day attacks, based on understanding secure authentication mechanisms, password management, intrusion detection & prevention, information security policies, and user education. Students need to design a shell-script based IDS which will enable them to gain practical skills in identifying intrusions in a host system. The aim of this unit is to provide students a good understanding of network and information security issues and develop their knowledge and skills required to identify security threats, design and implement appropriate security measures to countermeasure those threats. 

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Synthesise knowledge on security goals, threats, vulnerabilities, and potential security attacks in a networked environment (GA4, GA5)

LO2 - Apply knowledge and skills in selecting appropriate cryptographic tools to provide the required security services and ensure common good through data stewardship (GA2, GA5)

LO3 - Design a host-based intrusion detection system (IDS) using shell script to detect malicious attacks on a system (GA5, GA7)

LO4 - Comprehensively analyse and evaluate complex network systems, discover, and mitigate vulnerabilities and threats (GA5, GA8)

Graduate attributes

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

Content

Topics will include:

• Introduction to network security
• Unix programming
• Shell scripting
• Data stewardship
• Key management (Multimode only)
• Authentication and Password Management
• Firewall and IDS
• Email & Database security (Multimode only)
• Wireless network security (Multimode only)
• Web Security
• Security tools

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Multimode

This unit will be delivered in multimode over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period. Students will have access to all primary learning materials online, along with formative and summative assessments, all of which will be available online, to provide a learning experience beyond the classroom. While there are no formal classroom lectures for this unit, students will be required to attend weekly three-hour workshops, which will include a seminar and specific tasks related to achievement of the unit learning outcomes. Workshops facilitate learning by doing, which is particularly effective for information technology units as technical skills can be better learned through hands on practices.

ACU Online

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. The first assessment provides students with an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge and gain practical skills. The second assessment task is designed to provide students an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge and skills and design a practical security solution. The last assessment provides students with an opportunity to test their grasp of theoretical and practical aspects of the unit.

To pass this unit, students must demonstrate competence in all learning outcomes and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure students’ level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit.

Overview of assessments

Multimode;

Online

Representative texts and references

Stallings W 2016, Cryptography & Network Security: Principles and Practice, 7th edn, Pearson US

Pfleeger C & Pfleeger S & Margulies J 2015, Security in Computing, 5th edn, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

Stallings W & Brown L, 2018, Computer Security: Principle and Practice, 4th Edn, Pearson US.

Anderson, R 2020, Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems, 3rd edn, Wiley.

Whitman, M & Mattord, H 2016, Principles of Information Security, 5th edn, Cengage, Boston.