Cyber Security Consulting Project

A Cyber Security Consulting Project is available as a postgraduate-level subject offered by the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS). Please click the button below to find a postgraduate course suitable for you.

Subject Code:

CYB805A

Subject Type:

Specialisation 

Pre-requisites:

CYB701A Cyber Security Management 

CYB801A Security Operations and Identity Management 

CYB802A IoT and Cloud Security  

CYB803A Advanced Topics in Cyber Security  

Course level of study pre-requisite:  

A total of 32 credit points – 8 subjects (excl WIL) prior to enrolling into the subject  

Subject Level:

800

Credit Points:

4 credit points

Subject Aim:

This subject represents the culmination of learning towards the Master of Information Technology (Cyber Security). Students will apply the knowledge and skills acquired throughout their studies in a range of cybersecurity discipline areas. In this subject, students will take the role of a cybersecurity consultant and deliver an innovative solution to a real-life problem in line with industry standards and practices by focusing on a specific business domain.

The emphasis is on learning via practical study in cyber operations and cybersecurity management, addressing a complex industry-relevant problem by incorporating emerging technologies, tools, and techniques used in the field. Students will combine the technical, governance, and interdisciplinary aspects of cybersecurity into project work, aligning their activities with a contemporary project management methodology.

In this subject, students will apply effective and professional communication skills by synthesising their project artefacts into a well-structured report and interactively showcasing their solution to an audience. They will demonstrate integrity, ethical conduct, independent self-management, and professional accountability in all aspects of their project deliverables throughout the life of their project.

Learning Outcomes:

a) Synthesise domain-specific knowledge, skills and the latest industry trends in solving complex problems within a cybersecurity context.

b) Critically analyse business requirements and plan, design, construct, and systematically deliver an interdisciplinary cybersecurity solution, exercising industry-relevant tools and practices.

c) Implement an agile framework to deliver an innovative cybersecurity solution to a multiplex problem, executing its intrinsic phases, methods, and practices, and constructing artifacts in line with an agile project lifecycle.

d) Effectively communicate in written, visual, and verbal forms, conveying complex information to others with clarity and impact.

e) Produce outcomes as an individual with autonomy and responsibility and in collaboration with others, exhibiting expert judgement, influence, and ethical professionalism.

Assessment Information:

Project Overview 

The Cyber Security Consulting Project will be undertaken in groups of 4-5 students, supervised by their lecturer who will role-play the client. All students will be assigned to a project team in Weeks 1-2, in which they will remain until completion unless they present an exceptional case to change to another group. 

The assessment is a practical project in which students attempt to solve a complex industry-related problem in cybersecurity which requires the application of various skills and concepts gained throughout the course and reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the cybersecurity field, considering new and emerging techniques in strengthening organisational cyber security resilience and the management of cybersecurity operations. 

Students will be provided with an organisational cyber resilience business case, including detailed information about its internal governance mechanisms, cyber operations, and digital ecosystem. Students will critically analyse the business requirements to prepare and pitch a proposal (Assessment 1:: Proposal and Pitch), for an innovative solution. Upon the proposal approval, students will implement their proposed cybersecurity solution (Part 2: Implementation and Showcasing) inside a virtualised scenario environment where security issues will be first evaluated and then handled in line with their project schedule. 

Students will be provided with a Project Execution Framework that will govern the project lifecycle. In addition, groups will employ an agile project management framework, Scrum, using the industry-standard platform, Atlassian JIRA to exercise real-world tools, methods, and practices. 

Every fortnight (Weeks 5, 7, 9, and 11), groups will meet the client, who will be role-played by the lecturer, to hold their sprint planning ceremonies, gather/validate requirements, and collaboratively agree on sprint scope and deliverables. These fortnightly sessions will also allow students to receive timely feedback on their progress and seek advice regarding any challenges. 

Students are required to review the scholarly and industry literature to understand the domain-specific experiences, which will enable them to build an evidence base for their solutions to their chosen real-world challenge. This will also allow them to explore what best practice may look like in a professional setting, which they will incorporate into their solution in alignment with the dynamics of their selected business domain. 

Learning outcomes for this subject are assessed using a range of assessment tasks as described in the table below.

Broad topics to be covered: 

Please note that these topics are often refined and subject to change so for up to date weekly topics and suggested reading resources, please refer to the Moodle subject page.