COMPUTER FORENSICS AND SECURITY at Canterbury Christ Church University

The UK Government has identified cybersecurity as a “Tier One risk to UK interests” in their National Security Strategy. Hence, there is a shortage of skills to protect infrastructure, resources, people and computer systems from human error, and the exploitation of vulnerabilities by organised criminals, nation states or the lone hacker.

Such skills include utilising an ethical hacking approach to highlight security vulnerabilities so that they can be fixed or mitigated. Computer Forensics involves recovering intelligence and evidence from digital devices for the purposes of remediation, litigation and/or prosecution.

Given the demand for skilled graduates in the related fields of digital forensics and cybersecurity, the aim of this degree is to equip you with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to enter these exciting areas of computing.

The course will:

• Explore how cyber security protects organisational ecosystems (including computer systems) from malicious attacks, human error, and the exploitation of vulnerabilities.
• Explore how ethical hacking approaches can be used to highlight security vulnerabilities so that they can be fixed or mitigated.
• Develop your skills to use computer forensic techniques to recover intelligence and evidence from digital devices for the purposes of both civil litigation and criminal prosecution.

Why Computer Forensics and Security?

There has never been a better time for you to enter the computer forensics and cyber security profession. A recent report issued by Parliament on Cyber Security Skills and the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure identified a UK crisis resulting from a high demand and low supply of talent. Forbes predict a global shortage of two million cyber security professionals by 2019. No surprise then that a cyber security role such as a cyber intelligence officer can command a starting salary of £38k (nationalcareers.service.gov.uk).

This course has been engineered to nurture the skills you need to tackle challenging computing forensics and security issues and study these alongside broader computing topics, using a variety of different tools and techniques, working with a range of programming languages and operating systems.

Cyber space is the artificial environment humans have inhabited and like natural environments it cannot be controlled, but it can be managed. You will study how cyber security protects organisational ecosystems (including computer systems) from malicious attacks, human error, and the exploitation of vulnerabilities. You will explore how ethical hacking approaches can be used to highlight security vulnerabilities so that they can be fixed or mitigated. Cyber security incidents can have a number of outcomes, including civil litigation or criminal prosecution. You will develop skills to use computer forensic techniques to recover intelligence and evidence from digital devices for the purposes of both civil litigation and criminal prosecution. 

What will i study?

You will study specialist computing forensics and security topics, such as tracing online evidence, structure of popular file systems, recovery of digital artefacts and cybersecurity threats alongside broader computing topics. Each year builds on previous knowledge and understanding to reach an advanced standing in the area. You are encouraged to develop as an independent thinker and solution finder, with a contribution to make to the profession.

We work in the Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems along with programming languages such as C#, Bash and Python. A mixture of forensic and security tools such as Autopsy Forensic Browser, EnCase, X-Ways, FTK, XRY, Cellebrite, Metasploit, nmap and Wireshark will be used.

The opportunity to practice and develop learned skills comes in the final year where you will undertake a substantive piece of research in an Individual Study that will allow you to demonstrate your capabilities across the whole range of activities that you have been taught in the previous years as well as research new elements of your own choosing. This Individual Study may include development of a small software artefact. You will also study some advanced areas in the field.

Work experience

You may decide to take a placement option, allowing you to put your classroom knowledge into the practice of Computer Forensics/Security in order to consolidate your skills and to enhance your employability prospects. There is compelling research by Jones, Green and Higson (2015) that shows that students who undertake placements also tend to perform more strongly academically on return from their placement in their final year of study.