CIS 4219 - Human Aspects of Cyber Security

College of Computer & Information Technology

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Summer 2021 (590)

Requisites

Admission to Cybersecurity (Bachelor of Applied Science) (CYSEC-BAS)

Course Description

This course focuses on examining the key human factors that could influence the cybersecurity posture of an organization. This includes any contributing psychological traits such as impulsiveness and decision-making. This course will also explore the key techniques and frameworks that allow cybersecurity professionals to recognize and mitigate the risks associated with accidental and intentional insider threats.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. Students will identify the risk associated with accidental and intentional insider threats by:
    1. Establishing the concept of an insider
    2. Analyzing the core indicators of individuals becoming an insider threat
    3. Assessing information security behaviors
    4. Exploring case studies of recent insider threat behaviors
  2. Students will evaluate current gaps, emerging threats and future challenges associated with human factors in cyber-security and technical business systems by:
    1. Examining current literature on behavioral cyber-security
    2. Comparing and contrasting common techniques for infiltrating business systems utilizing human factors
  3. Students will apply appropriate techniques to spot insider threats by:
    1. Analyzing data to distinguish malicious behavior from normal behavior
  4. Students will explain hacker motivations and techniques by:
    1. Exploring case-studies of recent data breaches
    2. Role-playing various social-engineering techniques
    3. Implementing various technical methods used by hackers to perform malicious actions
  5. Students will develop and justify solutions that manage and mitigate the risks associated with the human factor element of cyber-security by:
    1. Explaining the relationship between frameworks, common policies, controls, and procedures and user-awareness training
    2. Recommending remediation of security issues related to identity and access management
    3. Reviewing security architecture and making recommendations to implement compensating controls
    4. Comparing and contrasting the various cybersecurity tools and technologies utilized to detect insider threats

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course the student will, with 70% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of the above stated objectives through classroom measurements developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

C&I Approval: 02/21/2020, BOT Approval: 03/17/2020, Effective Term: Fall 2020 (580).
C&I Approval: , BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Summer 2021 (590)

Related Programs

  1. Cybersecurity (CYSEC-BAS) (610) (Active)