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6005-CEM: Security

This is the course material for the 6005CEM Security module.

In this module we look as Cyber security from a developers viewpoint. What are the most common mistakes? What can we do to fix them? How do we avoid ending up in a Hall of Shame somewhere?

Module Team

I am a Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security I have also taught on the Ethical Hacking degree and masters courses.

I am a general computer scientist, and have interests in Coding, IoT and embedded systems (or really anything computer based except UX) When it comes to Hacking, I am firmly on the Red Team, and love breaking into systems or taking code apart to see how it works. Love taking part in CTF events, binary mangling and just learning about the cool ways we can misuse software.

If you have any questions, you can:

Aims and Summary

This module introduces students to the concepts and practical considerations of creating and evaluating secure computer systems. Systems will be analysed at both the application level and at the level of interconnected devices in architectures suck as client-server and cloud-based, with attention given to security-by-design, security legislation and regulation and the associated products and services.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Critically evaluate a range of encryption and authentication methods for a given set of requirements.
  2. Utilise systematic knowledge to create secure environments at the host or network level.
  3. Develop and evaluate software that addresses the most common and most severe security concerns.
  4. Critically evaluate the security of an IT ecosystem.

Materials

As well as Aula, all of the content is written in Markdown and stored on GitHub

Accessibility

One reason I have used the Github / Markdown approach in the past is to help students with accessibility issues. (For example, I find it really hard to work outside of "Dark Mode") If you want to talk to me about this, please do, there is a heck of a lot we can do with formatting that can help address any requirements you have.

I Spotted a Bug or Typo

Well done. Writing this module was hard because of how much content went into it, and the nature of the topic. Just like writing code, it's not possible to be 100% bug-free and so we use strategies to minimise errors in the first place and catch and correct them if they still occur.

The "minimising" step here is to have multiple people reading the material in advance of the module start, using a spell-checker, and developing in an environment that allows for version control, separation of content and presentation, reducing duplication and the chance for drift, etc. 1

As for catching bugs that make it through that process: you're the beta tester. If you find a bug, typo, factual error or even just have a good idea for improvement, let me know. Drop me a message at (aa9863@coventry.ac.uk). Unless you prefer to remain anonymous, you will be credited as a contributor to the page.

  1. Markdown, MKDocs, Git ↩

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