| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Innovation, Science & Sustainability |
| Unit Title: | Cybersecurity Fundamentals |
| Unit ID: | ITECH1502 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | (GPSIT1102 and ITECH1102) |
| ASCED: | 020113 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit introduces students to the foundational concepts and practices in cybersecurity. It emphasizes the understanding and application of core principles in securing systems and networks against threats. The unit prepares students for further studies in cybersecurity, and is tailored to those new to the field, focusing on building a solid theoretical and practical foundation.
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| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: No |
| Supplementary Assessment: |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | |  | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
After successfully completing this unit, students should be able to:
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| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Describe the basic concepts and terminology of cybersecurity. |
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| K2. | Identify common cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. |
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| K3. | Explain the function and purpose of various security technologies and practices. |
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| K4. | Recognize legal and ethical issues in the context of cybersecurity. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Assess risks associated with cybersecurity in personal and organizational contexts. |
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| S2. | Apply basic security measures to protect systems and data. |
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| S3. | Utilize tools for vulnerability scanning and basic penetration testing. |
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| S4. | Implement simple security protocols on personal and small-scale networks. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Apply cybersecurity measures to real-world scenarios. |
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| A2. | Analyze case studies to identify security breaches and suggest mitigation strategies. |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics may include:
1. Understanding Cyber Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks.
2. Basic Cryptography: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques.
3. Implementing Network Security: Firewalls, VPNs, and Wireless Security.
4. Practical Security: Securing Devices and Using Security Software.
5. Legal, Privacy, and Ethical Issues in Cybersecurity.
6. Incident Response and Basic Forensic Techniques.
7. Introduction to Security in Emerging Technologies: IoT and Cloud Security and software security.
8.
Introduction to Local Area Networks (LAN), LAN components, Ethernet and Token Ring, LAN design consideration, Wireless LAN, Wide Area Networks (WAN).
9.
Security requirments, including confidentiality, integrity and availability.
10.
Security threats to Enterprise Networks. |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | Learning outcomes
(KSA) | Assessment task
(AT#) | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students will demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate, inter-act and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display skills in-person and/or online in: • Using effective verbal and non-verbal communication • Listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Showing empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | K3, K4 | AT1, AT2, AT3 | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply professional skills and behaviours in leading others. Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating a collegial environment • Showing self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect • Inspiring and convincing others • Making informed decisions • Displaying initiative | Not applicable | Not applicable | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically • Evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Considering alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving. | K1, K2, K3, K2, S3, S4 | AT1, AT2, AT3 | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work fluently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Finding, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information • Collating, managing, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Contributing actively to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and benefiting from digital learning opportunities. | K4, S1, A2 | AT1, AT2, AT3 | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to consider and assess the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in global economic environmental and societal contexts • Committing to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Evaluating ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Embracing lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | S1 | AT1, AT2, AT3 |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1 – K4, S1 – S4, A1 - A2 | Students will be tested on their theoretical and knowledge and apply their understanding to practical cybersecurity scenarios. | Assignments and laboratory tasks | 20% - 30% | | 2. | K1, K2, K4, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2 | Students will create an artefact that proposes a solution to an authentic cybersecurity issue and present their findings. | Assignment(s) and Presentation(s) | 30% - 50% | | 3. | K1 – K4, S1, S2, A2 | Students will be tested on their conceptual understanding of essential terminology and concepts related to cybersecurity | Examination(s)/Test(s) | 30% - 40% |
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Professional Standards / Competencies: |
| | Standard / Competency | | 1. | Australian Computer Society - Core Body of Knowledge: 2023 accreditation |
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| Attribute | Assessed | Level | | Core ICT Knowledge | |
ICT Fundamentals
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Computational thinking: situation analysis and modelling using a range of methods and patterns to frame it so a computer system could operate effectively within it
| | Yes | Introductory | | |
History of computing and ICT, drivers of technology evolution and trends for the future
| | Yes | Introductory | |
ICT Infrastructure
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Network and internetwork concepts and protocols, wireless and mobile computing, cloud and distributed systems
| | Yes | Intermediate | | |
Systems software and operating systems managing the architecture
| | Yes | Introductory | |
Cyber Security
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Nature of Cyber Security: forms of attack, prevention, detection, mitigation and repair
| | Yes | Introductory | | |
Information assets to be secured (hardware, networks, software, data) and the different means of securing them, cryptography
| | Yes | Introductory | | Professionalism as it applied in ICT | | Professional ICT Ethics | | |
Professional ethics issues: general professional issues such as conflict of interest, confidentiality
| | Yes | Introductory | | |
ICT specific ethics issues: adverse stakeholder impacts of ICT, surveillance and privacy, data matching, autonomous computing, digital divide, etc.
| | Yes | Introductory | |
Impacts of ICT
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Impacts of ICT on society (cyber warfare; surveillance, privacy and civil liberties, cybercrime and hacking, digital divide, technology reliance, intellectual property and legal issues)
| | Yes | Introductory | |
Professional Communication
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Forms and styles of documentation - technical reports and specifications, progress reports
| | Yes | Introductory | |
The Professional ICT Practitioner
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Continuing professional development, career upskilling, networking
| | No | Introductory |
| | 2. | Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA): Version 8 |
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| Attribute | Assessed | Level | | Strategy and architecture | | Strategy and planning | | | ITSP Strategic planning (Levels 5 - 7) Creating and maintaining a strategy to align organisational actions, plans and resources with business objectives. | | No | 1 | | | MEAS Measurement (Levels 3 - 6) Developing and operating a measurement capability to support agreed organisational information needs. | | Yes | 1 | | Security and privacy | | | INAS Information assurance (Levels 3 - 7) Protecting against and managing risks related to the use, storage and transmission of data and information systems. | | Yes | 1 | | Development and implementation | | Systems development | | | NTDS Network design (Levels 3 - 6) Designing communication networks to support strategic and operational requirements and producing network strategies, architectures, policies and related documentation. | | Yes | 2 | | Delivery and operation | | Technology management | | | ITOP IT infrastructure (Levels 1 - 5) Deploying, configuring and operating IT Infrastructure. | | Yes | 1 | | | NTAS Network support (Levels 2 - 5) Providing maintenance and support services for communications networks. | | Yes | 2 | | Security services | | | SCAD Security operations (Levels 1 - 6) Delivering management, technical and administrative services to implement security controls and security management strategies. | | Yes | 1 | | | VUAS Vulnerability assessment (Levels 2 - 5) Identifying and classifying security vulnerabilities in networks, systems and applications and mitigating or eliminating their impact. | | Yes | 2 | | | DGFS Digital forensics (Levels 3 - 6) Recovering and investigating material found in digital devices. | | Yes | 2 | | | PENT Penetration testing (Levels 3 - 6) Testing the effectiveness of security controls by emulating the tools and techniques of likely attackers. | | Yes | 1 | | People and skills | | People management | | | PDSV Professional development (Levels 4 - 6) Facilitating the professional development of individuals in line with their career goals and organisational requirements. | | Yes | 2 |
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