Cyber security breaches cause significant personal and organisational damage and pose a clear and present risk to business profitability and resilience. Forbes, the business magazine, estimates that the annual cost of cyber-crime might reach (or surpass) $2Trillion by 2019. At a ground-level, Cyber security breaches are causing business insolvencies and posing challenges to employee safety and wellbeing. In this unit the learner will be introduced to a variety of threats and risks emanating from the cyberspace. The unit will look at various methods of attack and will use case studies to analyse various threat vectors, including Malware, Botnets and Trojans.

In this unit the learner will look at the component parts of digital communications and interoperability with IT networks, hardware, firmware and software components. The inherent insecurity of the internet will be described and discussed. What are the basics of computer science and technology? How do computers communicate with one another? How can networks communicate and how can we plan their security architecture in a more proactive and organised manner? The second half of this unit will look at security planning and core concepts including ‘security engineering’, systems hardening and cyber resilience..

Database security concerns the use of a broad range of information security controls to protect databases (potentially including the data, the database applications or stored functions, the database systems, the database servers and the associated network links) against compromises of their confidentiality, integrity and availability. It involves various types or categories of controls, such as technical, procedural/administrative and physical. Database security is a specialist topic within the broader realms of computer security, information security and risk management.?

Choice of two: a) Identify and explain how you would host organizational databases on the Cloud? How would you ensure that your Cloud-hosted databases were set to the highest possible standards of security? (Maximum 1,500 words.)

Or: b) How and why is Python programming language used successfully by Black Hat Hackers? Apply your answer to the real world, by way of exploring one case study scenario, whereby Python was used to maliciously ‘attack’ a system. (Maximum 1,500 words.)

in this unit the learner will examine Incident Response, Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTS), and events requiring investigative techniques. Learners will identify and examine aligned business tasks and task forces including Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity Management and Crisis Management. The unit then focuses on exploring cyber-related incident investigations, including evidential analysis gathering, logging and reporting. Learners will have the opportunity to look at case studies and assess how the approaches used could be applied into their own workplace..

Knowing how to build a cyber defence strategy, what legal tools require consideration, how policies

can be written and embedded, are all vital ingredients to successful in-house cyber security

practices. 

In this unit the learner will bring together knowledge acquired from previous units and build on this

in relation to developing plausible strategic plans, executive buy-in and legal compliance. Key

questions and challenges are posed:

• What is ‘strategy’ and what can a ‘cyber security strategy’ look like?
• How do we achieve senior-level buy-in?
• How do we monitor and safeguard compliance, particularly if our operations are dispersed

across a multinational environment? 

• What are the key legal requirements and industry standards that can assist and enhance our

cyber security strategies and practices

In this unit the learner will look at banking and financial services in relation to cyber security threats and risks and the potential methods to mitigate and lessen organisational vulnerability to cyber security attacks. The unit is relevant to anybody who wishes to learn how to identify and plan for direct cyber-attacks on financial services architecture, including those directly employed by the sector, or learners who need to understand their own organisational financial dependencies underpinning financial systems, including payment systems. As ‘traditional’ financial institutions, financial market platforms, and emerging cryptocurrency markets attract attacks from state and non-state cyber criminals, how can employees and companies protect their own financial infrastructure and supply chains? Case studies, including the TINBA and ZEUS trojans, will be evaluated and discussed.

In this unit the learner will look at the emerging cyber offensive and defensive strategies of nation states that reportedly engage in what is called ‘cyber war’ or ‘information warfare’. What nation-state governments have the most advanced cyber capabilities? How might they be used to defend or attack an institution, group or infrastructure? Why is this knowledge important for cyber security practitioners based within businesses? As part of this unit learners will analyse geopolitical considerations in relation to cyber security incidents and also explore the direct, likely implications, for their business organisations, and surrounding Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), that might get caught up in widescale disruption and long-term power outage.

All unit grading is shown on the qualification transcript.

QUALIFI Level 2 Diploma Business Beginners in Cyber Security is pass/fail.

Pass mark is 40% for each unit.

QUALIFI Level 3 Diploma in Cyber Security Management and Operations is pass/fail.

Pass mark is 40% fo reach unit.

Level 4 and Level 5 qualifications are graded:

Fail – 0-39%

Pass – 40%-59%

Merit –  60% – 69%

Distinction 70%+

Learners’ assessments will be marked internally by the approved centre and will be subject to external moderation by QUALIFI prior to certification. 

This Level 4 qualification is potentially unique because it is about ‘cyber security’ as a holistic discipline. It is therefore a semi-technical qualification that looks at both cyber-technical and cyber physical security threats, risks, responses and risk treatments. Due to the huge economic risks to business communities and their underpinning financial infrastructure from cyber-attacks, this course programme provides a dedicated elective unit, Cyber Security Threats and Risk: Banking and Finance, in order to thoroughly investigate and analyse how business banking, finance and payment systems are actively targeted, breached and also to ascertain how risks might be treated. The qualification will identify and evaluate practical ways to safely and securely protect people and information from cyber-attacks and associated impacts. The Diploma is accredited at Level 4 with a total equivalence of 120 credits. It is envisaged that learners completing this Level 4 programme will progress to QUALIFI Level 5 programmes.

There are mandatory and optional units for this qualification. All units cover a number of topics relating to learning outcomes. Each unit has the equivalency of 20 credits.

Units

Mandatory

• Cyber Security Threat and Risk
• Network Security and Data Communications
• Database Security and Computer Programming
• Incident Response, Investigations and Forensics
• Security Strategy: Laws, Policies and Implementation

Optional (1)

• Cyber Security Threats and Risk: Banking and Finance
• Cyber Wars 

The rationale of the programme is to provide a career path for learners who wish to develop their core capabilities within the cyber security and risk management sector. The outcome of the Diploma, which is a recognised UK qualification, is for learners to develop the cyber security skills required by organisations globally. In doing so, the qualification looks to develop the cyber security team leaders, managers and leaders of the future through the creation and delivery of learning appropriate for that industry. It is also to provide a pathway via learner credits and potential direct entry into Level 5 Cyber Security Degree programmes. The qualification will: 
• prepare learners for employment; and 

• support a range of senior IT and digital, data and security roles in the workplace.

On completion of this course students have the opportunity to complete an Degree programme from a range of UK universities. With level diploma, you are qualifying for university year 2 for degree. 

University of Gloucestershire

Anglia Ruskin University 

University of Bolton

University of Sunderland 

Westcliff University

Northampton University

University of Derby

And More:

Am I eligible for this programme:

To enrol onto the level 5 programme, you must be either.

1. a)a university graduate who is over 18 years old, or
2. b)a non-university graduate over 24-year-old, and with at least five years of managerial experience.

What is included in the cost of my course?

All course material, including online modules and written assignments.

Personal tutor support with 1-2-1 Zoom sessions

Dedicated student support

Access to an online social learning forum

Assignment marking and feedback.

FREE TOTUM student discount card

FREE laptop*

FREE access to Our Hubs

The fee for the level 4 Diploma in Cyber Security course is £2800.

Students can make payment using one of the following methods:

• Credit or debit card.
• Bank transfer.
• Interest free monthly instalments
• PayPal