MSc Cyber Security (Infrastructures Security)

The MSc cohort at IRW22
MSc Cyber Security (Infrastructures Security) cohort at IRW22

Certified by the NCSC – a part of GCHQ

This degree has been awarded Provisional Certification by the NCSC

Now accepting applications for 2023!

We're now accepting applications to our new MSc in Cyber Security (Infrastructures Security) where you’ll learn to apply foundational cyber security techniques to infrastructure and will develop the skills for engineering scalable solutions.

Apply online

About

Digital technologies drive economic growth yet create new cyber risks demanding ever more sophisticated solutions. There is worldwide demand for new and innovative approaches to tackle global cyber-threats specific to large-scale infrastructures, from energy production to finance through to healthcare and smart transportation. The cyber security of such infrastructures is paramount – their disruption can have large-scale impacts on society as well as massive business losses. There is a major shortage of cyber security professionals globally, and the specialist nature of critical infrastructures makes the problem even more acute.

A strong ethos of rigorous experimental and empirical cyber security research underpins the MSc, facilitated by a state-of-the-art testbed for studying critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and Internet of Things (IoT) security, and bespoke teaching equipment. You’ll learn to apply foundational cyber security techniques to infrastructure and will develop the skills for engineering scalable solutions. You'll be exposed to real-world problems that are practical and challenge-oriented but underpinned by rigorous research.

This MSc aims to:

  • Enable a deep understanding of fundamental concepts, design principles, building blocks and methods to understand and mitigate against cyber security threats;
  • Give you hands-on experience of working with devices, systems and networks utilised in realistic infrastructure environments;
  • Equip you with the ability to apply security principles and technical knowledge to analyse complex real-world infrastructures systems (including software systems, networks, control systems and IoT) to identify potential security issues and solutions;
  • Provide you with the skills to reason critically about complex problems that require evaluation and analysis from a multi-dimensional perspective including technical, human and organisational aspects.

Programme Details

Programme Structure

The MSc consists of the following compulsory units:

  • Foundations (20 credits)
  • Network Security (20 credits)
  • Fundamentals of System Security (20 credits)
  • Security of Industrial Control Systems (30 credits)
  • IoT and IIoT Security (30 credits).

To complete your studies, you will undertake a 60-credit individual research project proposed by project supervisors. This unit will provide you with first-hand experience in planning, running, documenting, and presenting a substantial piece of original work in the field of cyber security of infrastructures. This will typically include reading and synthesising academic literature, developing a hypothesis and validating it through hands-on experimental or implementation work. The projects offered each year will vary and each will have a different focus under the overarching umbrella of Infrastructures Security.

Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MSc Cyber Security (Infrastructures Security).

MSc Delivery Team

Research Activities

Facilities

The Bristol Cyber Security Group testbed provides a realistic environment for research into cyber-physical systems security. It has been built from the ground up, based on extensive past experience of building ICS security testbeds and input from industry partners.

 

Joe Gardiner, Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, outlines the Bristol Cyber Security Group Testbed Tour. 

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