Master of Science in Information Technology (Cyber Security)

This course provides graduate students with an understanding of the frameworks in research. It covers techniques to gather information, create and develop a research proposal and evaluate research carried out by others. Major areas include interpretive procedures for completing qualitative case studies, (which is the basis for most security research conducted in academic environments), data collection, experimentation, analysis methods, design, survey methods and tools, and field study.

This course provides an overview of issues related to information security, including confidentiality, integrity, availability, authenticity, and non-repudiation of information. It examines the different types of risks related to personal and organizational computing and how to control these risks through policy, education and training, and technology. Various security techniques are studied related to data protection, Internet browsing, electronic commerce, personal communication, and intrusion detection.

This course involves the conduct of research in the cyber security domain. Students are required to submit one to two original articles of a standard suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals or conferences based on research undertaken during the students’ enrolment at Zayed University. This collection will also include a written plan as well as introductory and concluding documents that situate the paper(s) within the wider context of the research discipline. Through this unit, students will gain essential research skills to support an academic career.

This course provides a hands-on approach to the investigation of crime incidents in which computers or computer technology play a significant role.  Students completing this course familiarize with the core information technology and practical skills necessary to perform rudimentary computer forensic investigations, understand the role of technology in investigating computer-based crime, and get prepped to deal with investigative bodies at a rudimentary level.

This course covers the roles, issues, and impacts of computer-based information systems in national and international arenas, focusing on privacy, equity, freedom of speech, intellectual property, and access to personal and governmental information.

This course covers CIT security protocols and applications in local and global networks, including intrusion detection, and protection from denial-of-service attacks and viruses. Includes hands-on lab exercises.

This course discusses advanced topics in cyber forensics. Students completing this course gain practical and research skills necessary to perform advanced cyber forensic investigations. Covered topics are: Anti-forensics, e-mail forensics, network forensics, and volatile memory forensics.

This course advances the knowledge of students in digital forensics and is concentrated on small scale digital devices. It provides students with the skills necessary to retrieve digital evidence from mobile devices in a forensically acceptable manner. Primarily, students l learn about the ontology of small scale digital devices, wireless networks and technologies associated with the devices, and how they can aid in small scale digital device investigations.

This course offers both theory of and applications for providing effective security in database management systems. Conceptual frameworks for discretionary and mandatory access control, data integrity, availability and performance, secure database design, data aggregation, data inference, secure concurrency control, secure transactions processing, and database auditing are studied. Students implement security features using triggers, views and stored procedures as well as study new features such as Virtual Private Database.

This course presents the essential concepts of information security management and the components of an information security management program. It explores commonly used frameworks and methods used for addressing today's information security needs in organizations. The course covers the business and professional environment and its relationship to information security governance; strategic and contingency planning for security; the central role of policy in information security; risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies; components of the dominant information security management models (in particular the ISO27000 series).

This course covers penetration-testing advanced tools and techniques that ethical hackers and security testers use to protect computer networks. It provides a structured knowledge base for preparing security professionals to discover vulnerabilities and recommend solutions for tightening network security and protecting data from potential attackers.

This course gives students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in other courses they’ve taken into this program. Students are encouraged to identify an advanced research topic or industry/faculty project that solves a significant problem related to cyber security. They then research that topic or fulfill the requirements of their project and compose an original paper to document their findings.

This project-based course aims to provide graduate students with an understanding of advanced network security concepts in the framework of complete information security projects. Students will learn and apply the acquired knowledge throughout the course to further their network security information base. The course will emphasize up-to-date security frameworks and technologies for the provision of secure network settings for enterprise security.

This course focuses on the challenges related to the emergence, prevention, and control of cybercrimes. It uses a multidisciplinary approach so that students can fully appreciate the complex nature of cybercrime and cybercriminal behavior. The course ties together multiple disciplines – Information technology, the sociology/anthropology of cyberspace, computer security, deviant behavior, law, criminal justice, and risk management.

The course further develops the identification and application of information-risk-management models by tracing the entire life-cycle of information system security planning evaluation, risk assessment, security architecture, incident detection, and responses to vulnerability and threats. Legal, ethical, and business factors that motivate and constrain the definition and implementation of information security management systems are addressed. The course will emphasize current information risk- management strategies and techniques and the challenges for both business and technical personnel to achieve the cost-effective mitigation of security vulnerabilities and threats throughout the enterprise.

This course provides students with an opportunity for an independent study that explores (at an advanced level) a topic of interest in cyber security. In an independent study course there are no lectures and the student is expected to take responsibility for the investigation and completion of a significant topic/project (including a final report) under the direction and supervision of a faculty member.

This is an end-of-program project course in which a student completes a substantial “real-world” cyber security project that may be provided by sponsors drawn from both private and government organizations in U.A.E. Projects are developed under the direction of the course instructor and may include members of the sponsoring organization. The execution of each project encompasses the following phases: requirements analysis, design, implementation, documentation, and release.

The purpose of this course is to provide an opportunity for an in-depth treatment of a cyber-security topic beyond what is covered in existing courses for the M.S. in Information Technology. Typically, this course would provide students the opportunity to study an evolving/hot new topic area related to studies in cyber security.