CIS 2005 Principles of Information Security

STAFFING:

REQUISITES:

RATIONALE:

The amount of data and information stored electronically is growing exponentially. At the individual organisational and societal level there is an increasing reliance on information systems to provide this information with the appropriate level of confidentiality, integrity and availability. Hence it is vitally important that business analysts recognise the need to ensure that corporate information and information systems are appropriately secure from unintentional and intentional threats from both authorised and unauthorised users while still maintaining a high level of service.

SYNOPSIS:

The increased reliance on technology to enhance business functions means students must have an understanding of the vulnerabilities and threats which systems face and the controls or countermeasures which can prevent or limit their effect. In this course students will be expected to apply structured risk analysis techniques to determine vulnerability, threat and control profiles for an organisation. Students will then need to develop an Information Security Management Plan which reflects the findings of risk analysis. The ongoing commitment to information systems security that organisations need to take is also stressed in this course.

OBJECTIVES:

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parentheses after each objective. On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. have a strong understanding of the vulnerabilities and threats relating to information systems, the controls which can be implemented to mitigate their effect, and relevant standards (Assignment, Examination)
2. understand the need for information systems security (Assignment, Examination)
3. relate the three security goals of confidentiality, integrity and availability and four key principles of computer security to business systems (Assignment, Examination)
4. demonstrate a good understanding of vulnerabilities, threats and related controls relating to physical security, software security, operating system security and database security (Assignment, Examination)
5. have a basic understanding of cryptography, including knowledge of DES, AES and public key encryption systems (Assignment, Examination)
6. discuss advantages and disadvantages of various methods of user authentication and recognise that a combination of methods is preferable (Assignment, Examination)
7. describe various network related threats and controls as covered in this course (Examination)
8. discuss specific e-commerce security issues as covered in this course (Examination)
9. recognise that legal and ethical issues can play a part in information systems security (Examination)
10. perform risk analysis techniques to determine vulnerability and threat profiles for an organisation (Assignment, Examination)
11. identify techniques for treating vulnerability and threat profiles to minimise their effect for an organisation (Assignment, Examination)
12. provide well written reports on the findings of risk analysis projects of various business computer systems in the form of an information security management plan (Assignment)
13. recognise the ongoing commitment to information systems security that is imperative for organisations to maintain reasonably secure information systems and understand the concept of continual improvement (Assignment, Examination).

TOPICS:

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed:

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

All students will need access to a PC word processing and spreadsheet package. Any package will suffice.

Students also need MS Windows to view multimedia materials.

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

NOTES:

1.

The examination is scheduled to be held in the end-of-semester examination period. Students will be advised of the official examination date after the timetable has been finalised.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   If you are an international student in Australia, you are advised to attend all classes at your campus. For all other students, there are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without prior approval then a penalty of 20% of the total marks available for the assignment may apply for each working day late.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 40% for the assignment, achieve a mark of at least 50% for the examination, and at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course. Students who do not qualify for a passing grade may, at the discretion of the Examiner, be awarded a supplementary examination and/or assigned additional work to demonstrate to the Examiner that they have achieved the required standard. It is expected that such students will have gained at least 45% of the total marks available for all summative assessment items.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   This is a restricted examination. Candidates are allowed access to specific materials during the examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the examination for this course are (i) Writing materials: non-electronic and free from material which could give the student an unfair advantage in the examination; (ii) Translation dictionaries: with the Examiner's approval, candidates may, take an appropriate non-electronic translation dictionary into the examination. This will be subject to perusal and, if it is found to contain annotations or markings that could give the candidate an unfair advantage, it may be removed from the candidate's possession until the appropriate disciplinary action is completed.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm. Students should also read the Faculty of Business Guide to Policies and Procedures of the Faculty which can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/current/buspolproc.html.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1. Learning resources: Prescribed texts and materials (see above); recommended reference materials (see above); printed Introductory Book, Study Book/s, and Book/s of Selected Readings; and course Website accessible via USQConnect.
2. E-mail and Internet Access: Students will require access to e-mail and Internet access to USQConnect for this course.