Cyber Security and Forensics MSc

Program Overview

The Cyber Security and Forensics MSc, designed to meet industry needs, provides students with comprehensive knowledge and skills in cybersecurity risk analysis and assessment, as well as digital forensics for extracting digital evidence from various devices. Students have the flexibility to choose optional modules focusing on either cybersecurity or digital forensics themes, allowing them to tailor their learning experience. The program's practical coursework assessments, expert teaching team, and strong industry links equip graduates with highly marketable skills for a successful career in cyber security and digital forensics.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Cyber Security and Forensics MSc is designed to meet the industry's needs and is fully certified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Outline:

The program structure allows students to choose optional modules from either the Cyber Security or Digital Forensics themes, providing a comprehensive and flexible learning experience. All students will take the core modules, which are designed to give a comprehensive introduction to this specialist field of Cyber Security and Forensics. In addition, students will undertake and complete a Cyber Security and Forensics Major Project Module.

Core Modules:

• Principles of Cyber Security: This module introduces the fundamentals of Cyber security, such as the CIA tenets and the various models and formal methods used to design and understand threats and security methods.
It also introduces the human factor and its impact on organizations. The second part of the module focuses on understanding cryptographic concepts and introduces several applied cryptography models in different environments.
• Cyber Security and Forensics Project: This project is an extended piece of supervised independent work relevant to the field of Cyber Security and Forensics.
The topic is generally proposed by the student after consultation with the module leader. The project should enable the student to draw on and extend the knowledge, skills, and techniques of the field covered by the taught modules and show independent work that, whilst not original, demonstrates the development of skills and knowledge. The module will allow students to show appreciation of the topic investigated by providing a critical analysis of the findings.
• Principles of Digital Forensics: This module covers the fundamental concepts in computer forensics.
Students will use a variety of investigative examination and software tools to determine disk and file organization, the gathering of information and evidence, recovery of deleted files, and revealing hidden files structures.
• Network Security Management: This module examines various aspects of network security, including theoretical and practical areas.
A substantial amount of work will be laboratory-based, involving the deployment of network security tools, the analysis of network data, and identifying security threats to networked computers and devices, their consequences, and methods of dealing with such threats.
• Information Security Governance and Compliance: Information Security (IS) Governance and Compliance are both essential components of cyber security and Forensics activities within any organization, incident, or case study.

Option Modules: Digital Forensics Theme

• Digital Forensics and Incident Response: This module examines digital forensics and security response with a practical focus.
It introduces key network protocols and their potential vulnerabilities, emphasizing tools like Wireshark, intrusion detection systems, and their role in incident response. Core topics covered include malware analysis, evidence handling, and incident response procedures. Students will apply their learning to through the exploration of real-world network security incidents to meet the constantly evolving and emerging challenges in forensics.

Option Modules: Cyber Security Theme

• Cyber Security Applications: The module assumes basic knowledge of cryptography and covers both theoretical and practical issues related to cyber security applications.
Students will be exposed to many exciting open problems in the field and will have the opportunity to work on programming projects related to security.
• Cyber Security Threats and Countermeasures: This module will look at system architectures and how systems can be defended; it will include consideration of the threat to security posed by legitimate users of the system and behavioural issues.

Assessment:

Assessments predominantly comprise practical or research-based coursework.

Teaching:

Teaching methods involve lab sessions, student-led tutorials, and lectures by internal staff and industry guest speakers. Students will be taught by friendly, highly experienced staff, and benefit from the diverse specialist knowledge and skills within the School of Computer Science and Engineering.

Careers:

This course is designed with a high degree of relevance to the industry’s needs. It will equip students with all the necessary skills needed for jobs in the field of cyber security and digital forensics. This means that there’s a growing demand for specialists in cyber security and digital forensics.

Other:

• The course offers access to state-of-the-art resources, including the licensed FTK Forensics Toolkit and other Open-Source Tools.
• The course has links to an active cyber security research group with PhD students and academic staff investigating the latest advances in cyber security and forensics studies.
• The course is also fully certified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is a sign of national excellence.
Students will receive a certificate upon graduation. The NCSC is part of the UK Government’s national communications intelligence agency GCHQ.
• The course is based in the Cavendish Campus in central London, which is just a five-minute walk from Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road.
• The course has strong links to industry, a highly-experienced teaching team in the cyber security and digital forensics field, and industry professionals who regularly appear as guest speakers.
• The course will equip students with a range of highly marketable and skills to prepare them for a successful career in this industry.
• The course has links with professionals from a range of fields in the cyber security and digital forensics industries.
They regularly appear as guest speakers and act as advisors for the course. Their input ensures that the course is continually up to date and highly relevant to the needs of the industry.

This opportunity is available if you have a personal tuition fee liability of £2,000 or more and if you are self-funded or funded by the Student Loans Company.