Certified Master s in Cyber Security Certification of Master s Degrees Providing a General, Broad Foundation in Cyber Security Call for Applications Closing Date: 27 February 2015, 16:00 Briefing Meeting: 14 January 2015, 13:00 Portions of this work are copyright The Institute of Information Security Professionals. All rights reserved. The copyright of this document is reserved and vested in the Crown. Document History Issue Date Comment 1.0 26 March 2014 First issue 1.1 01 May 2014 Minimum percentage of cyber security in taught element of Master s changed from 80% to 70%; number of Skills Groups covered reduced from 10 to 9. 2.0 08 December 2014 Second issue Page 1 of 45
1 Introduction Reflecting the aims of the National Cyber Security Programme, UK Government and its delivery partners are working to increase the UK s academic capability in all fields of Cyber Security. Together BIS, EPSRC, GCHQ, CPNI and OCSIA have developed a joint approach and strategy for reaching this goal. As part of that strategy, GCHQ has initiated a programme to certify Master s degrees in cyber security subjects taught at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This Call for Applications is for the certification of Master s degrees that provide a general, broad foundation in cyber security and which have cyber security as a sole or main focus please see section 3 for more details. Master s degrees in cyber security subjects can provide a number of benefits, providing for example: a deeper understanding of cyber security concepts, principles, technologies and practices a bridge between undergraduate degrees and careers in cyber security a platform for further research at Doctoral level an effective way for people in mid-career to enhance their knowledge of the subject or to move into cyber security as a change of career path There are now a significant number of Master s degrees run by UK HEIs with cyber security content. However, it can be difficult for students and employers alike to navigate the variety of Master s that is available in order to: understand the extent to which such degrees really have cyber security as their main or sole focus assess the quality of the degrees on offer identify which degrees best suit someone s career path. This Call (and any subsequent calls) will enable HEIs, should they wish, to apply to have their cyber security Master s degrees considered for certification. There are two types of certification (please see section 3 for further details): Full Certification and Provisional Certification. Certifications of individual Master s degrees by GCHQ will be subject to a set of terms and conditions (T&Cs). A copy of the T&Cs for Full and Provisional certification can be obtained by emailing ACE-CSE_project@gchq.gsi.gov.uk. Although applications for certification in response to this Call will be made directly to GCHQ, it is envisaged that future calls may require applications to be made to a third party appointed by GCHQ to certify individual degrees against the GCHQ criteria for Master s certification. HEIs should note that Master s certification (Full or Provisional) is anticipated to be one of the requirements for future recognition as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education please see section 2.3. Page 2 of 45
1.1 Organisation of this document The remainder of this document is organised as follows: Section 2: General background information Section 3: Guidance on the scope of the Call Section 4: Key changes from Issue 1.1 of Call document, dated 01 May 2014 Section 5: Eligibility of applicants Section 6: How to apply Section 7: Assessment process Section 8: Key dates Appendix A: Cyber terminology the National Technical Authority view Appendix B: Topics to be covered in Master s degrees providing a general, broad foundation in cyber security Appendix C: Required structure of application for Full certification Appendix D: Required structure of application for Provisional certification Appendix E: Guidance on writing and submitting applications 2 Background 2.1 UK Cyber Security Strategy Objective 4 The vision of the UK Cyber Security Strategy is 1 : for the UK in 2015 to derive huge economic and social value from a vibrant, resilient and secure cyberspace, where our actions, guided by our core values of liberty, fairness and transparency and the rule of law, enhance prosperity, national security and a strong society Objective 4 of the UK Cyber Security Strategy requires: the UK to have the cross-cutting knowledge, skills and capability it needs to underpin all our cyber security objectives Working in partnership over the past few years, BIS, EPSRC, GCHQ, CPNI and OCSIA have initiated a number of programmes across academia designed to address the knowledge, skills and capability requirements for cyber security research in Objective 4, including: Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research Academic Research Institutes in Cyber Security Centres for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security Research 1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-strategy Page 3 of 45
In the next two steps of the academic programme under Objective 4, GCHQ has initiated a programme to certify Master s degrees in Cyber Security and intends to identify Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Education 2.2 Aims, benefits and vision of Certified Master s in Cyber Security The overall aim is to identify and recognise Master s degrees run by UK HEIs that provide well defined and appropriate content and that are delivered to an appropriate standard. This Call for General Cyber Security is complementary to other calls for the certification of Master s degrees in specialised topics. The anticipated key benefits include: providing guidance to prospective students and employers on the content and quality of such degrees providing Master s students who have completed their certified degree with an additional form of recognition i.e., that they have successfully completed a GCHQ certified degree helping to further enhance the quality, focus and relevance of Master s degrees helping universities with certified Master s degrees to attract additional numbers / higher quality students both from the UK and abroad helping employers (in industry, government and academia) during the recruitment process to better understand, and distinguish between, the Master s qualifications of job applicants 2.3 Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSEs) GCHQ and its government partners intend to set up a separate application process to recognise ACE- CSEs. It is anticipated that invitations for ACE-CSE applications will be issued to the academic community in summer 2015. It is likely that one of the assessment criteria that will have to be met for an HEI to become a recognised ACE-CSE is that it has, and continues to have, at least one GCHQ certified (Full or Provisional) Master s degree in cyber security. Further details will be issued in due course. 3 Scope of this Call for applications This Call is for the certification of Master s degrees that provide a general, broad foundation in cyber security and which have cyber security as a sole or main focus see Appendices A, B, C and D. This Call is for post-graduate cyber security Master s degrees (including distance learning degrees) delivered, examined and awarded in the UK by UK HEIs and which typically take one year of fulltime study (or equivalent for part-time students). 3.1 In scope For a Master s degree to be in scope for this Call, each of the requirements i, ii and iii below must be met: Page 4 of 45
i. at least one of options a and b must be met: a. at least 70% of the taught modules in the Master s must be able to be mapped to Security Disciplines A to H shown in Appendix B b. for Master s degrees that comprise a broad set of optional modules from which students can choose, it must be the case that students can select a set of taught modules in which at least 70% of the modules in the set can be mapped to Security Disciplines A to H shown in Appendix B 2 ii. for a Master s providing a general, broad foundation in cyber security, the taught modules must cover at least 9 of the Skills Groups i to xiii shown in Appendix B iii. there must be a substantial original research component and associated dissertation (corresponding to Security Discipline I and Skill Group xiv) expected to account for 25% to 45% of the available credits. If the percentage of credits associated with the original research dissertation is higher than 45%, then an HEI will need to clarify how the taught modules of the degree adequately cover the required number of Skills Groups. If the percentage is less than 25% then an HEI will need to clarify how students are able to gain sufficient understanding and experience of undertaking original research. 3.1.1 Full certification To be in scope, applications for Full certification require: a cohort of students to have successfully completed the Master s degree in academic year 2013 2014 the external examiner s report to be available 3 for academic year 2013 2014 the Master s degree to be running in academic year 2014 2015 3.1.2 Provisional certification To be in scope, applications for Provisional certification require one of the following to be met: the Master s degree to be running in academic year 2014 2015, though a cohort of students did not complete the degree in academic year 2013 2014 the new/revised Master s degree has not yet started but will start by (up to and including) October 2016 3.2 Out of scope The following Master s degrees are out of scope for this Call: Integrated Master s which typically take 4 years of study starting at undergraduate level 2 If option b is chosen, then the T&Cs associated with certification will require that the set of modules for which certification applies is identified. It will be the responsibility of the HEI to inform students that this is the set of modules for which the Master s degree is certified and that other combinations of modules are not certified. 3 Where the external examiner s report for 2013 2014 is not available by the submission deadline please provide the most recent report and the HEI s response. Please state when the 2013 2014 report and response will be available and submit them as soon as they are available. Page 5 of 45
Master s degrees which are predominantly carried out by research leading to MRes degrees Master s degrees focusing on, for example, computer science or software engineering where cyber security is covered in only a small percentage of modules Master s degrees with a narrow focus on a particular area of cyber security such as, by way of example only, digital forensics Master s degrees that are planned to start later than October 2016 4 Changes from Issue 1.1 of Call document, dated 01 May 2014 Section Change Throughout document Introduction to Appendices C and D Section 2 of Appendices C and D Section 3 of Appendices C and D Section 3 of Appendices C and D Section 4 of Appendices C and D Section 5 of Appendix C The academic years to be in scope for this Call and for which evidence has to be provided have changed. In general, they are one year later than in Issue 1.1. Minor changes to introductory text. Changes to the page lengths of sections. Slight re-ordering of information required. CVs should be placed in an appendix to section2. Table 3.1 has been updated. Module descriptions should identify and list the Skills Groups covered. Module descriptions should be placed in an appendix to section 3. Permitted combinations of modules that DO cover the required number of Skills Groups should be identified. The option to provide combinations that DO NOT has been dropped. A description of the approach to assessment should be provided. Minor changes to the criteria. Examination material should be placed in an appendix to section 4. Dissertations should be provided as part of the email submission. It is not possible to download dissertations from external web sites. Additional information should be provided for each of the example dissertations. Dissertations should be placed in an appendix at the end of the overall application. Section 5 of Appendix D Appendix E Minor changes to the criteria. Appendix E provides guidance on writing and submitting applications, based upon observations arising from the assessment of applications to previous calls. Page 6 of 45
5 Eligibility This Call is open to all UK Higher Education Institutions. Applicants should note that there will be no funding associated with successful certification of Master s degrees. 6 How to apply 6.1 Submitting applications Applications should be emailed to ACE-CSE_Project@gchq.gsi.gov.uk by 16:00 on 27 February 2015. Applicants are solely responsible for ensuring that any application that they submit reaches GCHQ and for all costs of preparation of their applications. To help with the administration of submissions, please put Master s General Certification application - <Name of your HEI><Email n of m> on the subject line. Please also ensure that each file that is sent as part of the application is named in the order it is to be printed: <Name of your HEI><General><File n of m>. 6.2 Guidance on writing applications Although applicants will be solely responsible for the content and accuracy of their applications, applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the overall guidance on writing and submitting applications provided in Appendix E. 6.2.1 Applications for Full certification Applicants should note that their applications should be structured to follow the guidance in Appendix C. Applicants should also refer to Appendices A, B and E. If successful, Full applications will be awarded Certified status for a period of five years, subject to the HEI agreeing the T&Cs which will document the ongoing requirements for the HEI and GCHQ. 6.2.2 Applications for Provisional certification Applicants should note that their applications should be structured to follow the guidance in Appendix D. Applicants should also refer to Appendices A, B and E. If successful, Provisional applications will be awarded a Certification Pending status. This will be conditional on the applicant agreeing the T&Cs associated with Provisional applications, which will include a limit on the length of time a Certification Pending status can be held without obtaining Full Certification. 6.3 Briefing meeting and points of clarification A briefing meeting is planned for potential applicants on the afternoon of 14 January 2015 at The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom 4, Shrivenham, Swindon, SN6 8LA. Please email ACE- CSE_Project@gchq.gsi.gov.uk by 16:00 on 08 January 2015 to register attendance. To help with 4 Defence Academy web page: http://www.da.mod.uk/contact-us/finding-the-defence-academy Page 7 of 45
administration, please put Master s General Certification briefing day - <Name of your HEI> on the subject line. Please include the names and contact details of those wishing to attend the briefing meeting maximum of 3 per HEI. GCHQ will acknowledge emails within two working days. Please contact Graeme Dykes on 01242 221491 xtn 36104 if an acknowledgement has not been received. Call documents and a list of points of clarification regarding the application process will be maintained at: http://www.cesg.gov.uk/awarenesstraining/academia/pages/masters-degrees.aspx Applicants are advised to check this Web page regularly for any updates to the application process or changes to the version of the Call document. 7 Assessment Applications within scope will be assessed by an Assessment Panel that will include representatives from GCHQ, wider government, industry, professional bodies and academia. Each application will be read and scored independently by a minimum of three members of the Assessment Panel. At the Assessment Panel meeting, Panel members will present their scores and the rationale for their scores. The Assessment Panel will agree a consensus score for each application. The Panel s decision is final. There is no maximum number of successful applications for certification. 7.1 Full certification Each application will be assessed within the six areas shown below, and further described in Appendix C, against the set of assessment criteria also shown in Appendix C. i. HEI s letter of support for the application ii. Description of the applicant iii. Description of the Master s degree in Cyber Security iv. Assessment materials and external examiner s report v. Original research dissertations vi. Student numbers and grades achieved 7.2 Provisional certification Each application will be assessed within the five areas shown below, and further described in Appendix D, against the set of assessment criteria also shown in Appendix D. i. HEI s letter of support for the application ii. Description of the applicant iii. Description of the Master s degree in Cyber Security iv. Assessment materials v. Original research dissertations Page 8 of 45
8 Moving forwards 8.1 Key dates Activity Proposed Date Call issued 08 December 2014 Briefing meeting 14 January 2015 Proposals due to be submitted 27 February 2015 Assessment of proposals March April 2015 Announcement of results by 30 April 2015 8.2 After the assessment process All applicants will be notified individually whether their applications have been successful. 8.3 Successful applications The certification (whether Full or Provisional) of each individual Master s degree is conditional upon the HEI agreeing to the T&Cs of certification provided by GCHQ. The T&Cs describe the terms of use of the branding associated with certification such as in advertising/promotional material and the award documents given to students who have successfully completed the degree. The T&Cs also describe the ongoing requirements that the HEI must satisfy in order for the certification to remain valid. 8.4 Unsuccessful applications Applications that are not successful in this Call will be given feedback and, where appropriate, such applicants will be encouraged to submit in future calls. 9 Contact details Graeme Dykes GCHQ Hubble Road Cheltenham GL51 0AX Tel: 01242 221491 xtn 36104 Email: ACE-CSE_Project@gchq.gsi.gov.uk Page 9 of 45
Appendix A: Cyber terminology the National Technical Authority view 1 Introduction Today the term Cyber is used by everyone, and everyone has a different understanding as to what it means. This is causing confusion, inefficiency and misunderstanding. Whilst you can never control how others use this term, in this Appendix GCHQ as the National Technical Authority (NTA) for Information Assurance 5 clarifies the use of cyber terminology and the scope of cyber security both for the UK and this Call. In particular, the terms Information Assurance, Cyber Space, Cyber Security are described and a working definition of Cyber Security is presented that sets the scene for the Indicative Topic Coverage of Master s degrees described in Appendix B. 2 Information Assurance Information Assurance (IA) is a discipline that seeks to manage (e.g. reduce as necessary) the risks and impacts to information and information-based systems. It is also known as Information Security. IA is carried out by the owner of the information or information system supported by organisations such as GCHQ and CPNI that provide many of the tools they need. The term Information Assurance was coined to emphasise the need for confidence (or assurance) that risks are being effectively managed. IA considers the full set of risks to information and information-based systems and includes the following activities: Protect reduces information risk through the reduction of vulnerabilities (whether physical, personnel, process or technical) Prepare enables the harm to be reduced when a risk is realised, i.e. contingency planning Detect identifies when a risk changes (new vulnerability discovered, change in threat level, etc.) or is realised, i.e. situation awareness Respond reduces the impact when a risk is realised, e.g. incident management GCHQ provides the overall framework for managing risks to information and information systems, as well as guidance on how technical risks can be mitigated. CPNI is responsible for providing guidance on mitigating physical and personnel vulnerabilities. All three aspects have to be addressed if an organisation is to effectively manage its information risks, even in cyber space. 3 Cyber Space The Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom 6, dated June 2009, describes cyber space as encompassing all forms of networked, digital activities; this includes the content of and actions conducted through digital networks. It also states that the physical building blocks of cyber space 5 Technical areas within the scope of the NTA include: cryptography, key management and security protocols; information risk management; IA Science; hardware engineering and security analysis; information assurance methodologies; operational assurance techniques; strategic technologies and products; control systems; electromagnetic physics and security. 6 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-strategy-of-the-united-kingdom Page 10 of 45
are individual computers and communication systems [which] fundamentally support much of our national infrastructure and information. Cyber space is a key enabler for the UK and therefore a critical asset. In The UK Cyber Security Strategy 7, dated November 2011, this is picked up as a Tier 1 threat: namely, hostile attacks upon UK cyberspace by other states and large scale crime. These strategies effectively say that we need to put in place measures to reduce the risk and impact of such attacks, i.e. we need to defend ourselves in cyber space. 4 Cyber Security 4.1 General description The Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom 8, dated June 2009, states that Cyber security embraces both the protection of UK interests in Cyber Space and also the pursuit of wider UK security policy through exploitation of the many opportunities that cyber space offers. Cyber security should be considered as an activity covering all aspects of UK well-being as they relate to cyber space. The complexity of cyber space and its relationship to the well-being of the UK means that cyber security includes a number of inter-related activities. At a general level, for the purposes of this Call, cyber security refers to those activities that relate to the defence of UK cyber space and are largely carried out by information and system owners in order to defend (reduce risk and impact) UK cyber space. Organisations operating in cyber space are responsible for managing their risks and impacts by undertaking Protect, Prepare, Detect and Respond through applying the discipline of Information Assurance. Part of GCHQ s role as the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance is to provide definitive, authoritative and expert-based guidance on all aspects of IA. However, it is absolutely clear that raising cyber security levels in the UK has to be a joint effort between government, industry and academia. Establishing Certified Master s degrees in cyber security is an example of this joint effort aimed at supporting the goals of the UK s Cyber Security Strategy. It should be noted that the Cyber Security Strategy considers national level risks that largely stem from malicious action or environmental hazard. Information risks also stem from accidental actions such as the loss of a laptop, inappropriate email or loss of storage devices (as in recent well publicised security breaches). This is the broader scope of Information Assurance. 7 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-strategy 8 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-strategy-of-the-united-kingdom Page 11 of 45
4.2 Specific working definition of cyber security to be used for this Call The International Telecommunication Union has produced a definition of cyber security 9 which is consistent with the general descriptions above and which provides specific and itemised detail that links into the Security Disciplines, Skills Groups and Indicative Topic Coverage in Appendix B. Thus more specifically, for the purposes of this Call document, cyber security should be taken to mean: The collection of tools, policies, security concepts, security safeguards, guidelines, risk management approaches, actions, training, best practices, assurance and technologies that can be used to protect the cyber environment and the assets of organisations and users. The assets of organisations and users include connected computing devices, personnel, infrastructure, applications, services, telecommunications systems, and the totality of transmitted and/or stored information in the cyber environment. Cyber security strives to ensure the attainment and maintenance of the security properties of the assets of organisations and users against relevant security risks in the cyber environment. 9 http://www.itu.int/en/itu-t/studygroups/com17/pages/cybersecurity.aspx Page 12 of 45
Appendix B: Topics to be covered in Master s degrees providing a general, broad foundation in cyber security The Security Discipline Principles and Skills Groups that form part of the tables in this Appendix A are derived from the IISP Information Security Skills Framework and are copyright The Institute of Information Security Professionals. All rights reserved. The information within the tables in this Appendix is intended to provide an indicative mapping of potential Master s topic coverage to the IISP Skills Framework 10. The tables are structured on the basis of Security Disciplines that lead to a series of Indicative Topics: a. The set of Security Disciplines and Principles has been taken from the IISP Skills Framework, along with summary versions of the associated Knowledge Requirements expressed in CESG s document on Certification for IA Professionals 11 12. b. The Skills Groups are based upon those expressed in the IISP framework, but with some of the groups having been merged together where appropriate (e.g., where Master s programmes would be unlikely to be focusing their coverage or where the treatment of the Skills Groups would essentially encompass the same topics). A new Skills Group on Control Systems has been added to reflect the growing importance of this subject area. c. To help with later referral, the Skills Groups have been numbered i to xiv. The IISP Skills Groups to which they refer are also shown (e.g., A2, A5, etc.). d. The Indicative Topic Coverage highlights examples of the specific topics that one would expect to see represented within the syllabi of Master s modules in order for broad coverage of the related Skills Group to be achieved. Given that they are indicative topics, programmes would not be required to cover all of them explicitly (and indeed other topics may additionally be relevant), but there would be expected to be sufficient weight of coverage within each area if the Skills Group was to be satisfactorily addressed. 10 IISP Skills Framework: https://www.iisp.org/imis15/iisp/accreditation/our_skills_framework/iisp/about_us/our_skills_framework.aspx?hkey=e 77a6f03-9498-423e-aa7b-585381290ec4 11 CESG is the Information Security arm of GCHQ: http://www.cesg.gov.uk 12 CESG Certification for IA Professionals: http://www.cesg.gov.uk/awarenesstraining/certifiedprofessionals/pages/index.aspx Page 13 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage A. Information Security Management Principle: Capable of determining, establishing and maintaining appropriate governance of (including processes, roles, awareness strategies, legal environment and responsibilities), delivery of (including polices, standards and guidelines), and cost-effective solutions (including impact of third parties) for information security within a given organisation). CESG Knowledge Requirements include: i. Policy, Strategy, Awareness and Audit (A1, A2, A3, A5, G1) The role and function of security policy Types of security policy Security standards (e.g. ISO/IEC 27000) Security concepts and fundamentals Security roles and responsibilities Security professionalism Governance and compliance requirements in law Third party management Security culture Awareness raising methods Acceptable use policies Security certifications Understanding auditability The internal audit process Management frameworks such as ISO 27000 series Legislation such as Data Protection Act Common management Frameworks such as ISO 9000 ii. Legal & Regulatory Environment (A6) Computer Misuse legislation Data Protection law Intellectual property and copyright Employment issues Regulation of security technologies under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 14 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage B. Information Risk Management Principle: Capable of articulating the different forms of threat to, and vulnerabilities of, information systems and assets. Comprehending and managing the risks relating to information systems and assets. CESG Knowledge Requirements include: Information risk management methodologies such as ISO 27005 - Information Security Risk Management Generic risk management methodologies such as ISO 31000 Risk Management; Principles & Guidelines Key concepts such as threats, vulnerabilities, business impacts, and risk tolerance iii. Risk Assessment and Management (B1, B2) Threat, vulnerability and risk concepts Threat landscape, adversarial thinking Asset valuation and management Risk analysis methodologies Handling risk and selecting countermeasures/controls to mitigate risk Understanding impacts and consequences Security economics under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 15 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage C. Implementing Secure Systems Principle: Comprehends the common technical security controls available to prevent, detect and recover from security incidents and to mitigate risk. Capable of articulating security architectures relating to business needs and commercial product development that can be realised using available tools, products, standards and protocols, delivering systems assured to have met their security profile using accepted methods CESG Knowledge Requirements include: Security Architectures and Patterns Secure Development processes Business requirements Skills frameworks (e.g. SFIA) Architectural frameworks (e.g. The Open Group Architecture Framework TOGAF) Range of core security technologies (e.g. Access control models, encryption, Authentication techniques) and how to apply them iv. Security Architecture (C1) v. Secure Development (C2) vi. Control Systems Design and development considerations: trusted computing base, security architecture and patterns, security models and design principles (e.g., principle of least privilege, fail-safe defaults), software (program) security, emission security Selecting and applying core technologies: authentication, access control, privacy controls, security protocols Recognising security needs across platforms: operating system security, Web security, embedded security, cloud and virtualisation security, security as a service Cryptography: cipher and algorithm types, applications to confidentiality, integrity and authentication, PKI Network security: Internet security protocols, tunnelling, VPNs, network attack and defence, TLS Human factors: usable security, psychology of security, insider threat Security systems development: managing secure systems development, principles of secure programming, formal approaches, understanding implementation errors and exploits. SCADA and SMART Systems, cyber system of systems (from abstract to physical effect), non-ip protocols and standards (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, GSM, CAN, MODBUS), cyber-physical systems analysis, embedded systems, assurance of control systems hardware and software, design/implementation methodologies to minimise the risk of vulnerabilities, risk modelling and risk-based decision making under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 16 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage D. Information Assurance Methodologies and Testing Principle: Develops and applies standards and strategies for verifying that measures taken mitigate identified risks. CESG Knowledge Requirements include: Assessment Methodologies (e.g. Common Criteria) Information Risk Management Frameworks Assessment services or standards (e.g. CHECK) Governance aspects and Management responsibilities Testing strategies and methodologies (e.g., TEMPEST testing) vii. Information Assurance Methodologies (D1) viii. Security Testing (D2) Assessment methodologies (e.g. 27000 series and Common Criteria) Understanding security vulnerabilities and related mitigation measures System and software testing Penetration testing Security metrics Static and dynamic analysis of products and systems under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 17 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage E. Operational Security Management Principle: Capable of managing all aspects of a security programme, including reacting to new threats and vulnerabilities, secure operational and service delivery consistent with security polices, standards and procedures, and handling security incidents of all types according to common principles and practices, consistent with legal constraints and obligations. CESG Knowledge Requirements include: Governance and Management responsibilities IT Service Management processes (e.g. ITIL) Existing and Emerging Vulnerabilities Use of penetration testing and vulnerability testing Risk Assessment and Monitoring Operating Procedures and accountability Continuous improvement ix. Secure Operations Management and Service Delivery (E1, E2) x. Vulnerability Assessment (E3) Internet threats: common attacks (human and technical), malicious code, situational awareness, threat trends, threat landscape, CERTs, adversarial thinking Cryptography: AES and RSA, key management, digital signatures Network security: networking fundamentals, firewalls and traffic filtering, intrusion detection and prevention systems, intrusion analysis, network monitoring, mobile and wireless network security System security: authentication (secrets, tokens, biometrics), access control (MAC, DAC, RBAC) and privilege management, mobile device security and BYOD, anti-virus technologies Application security: email, Web, social networks, DRM, database security, big data security, identity management Physical security: physical and environmental controls, physical protection of IT assets Malware analysis: static and dynamic analysis, detection techniques, host-based intrusion detection, kernel rootkits System and network-level vulnerabilities and their exploitation Vulnerability analysis and management Penetration testing Social Engineering Dependable/resilient/survivable systems under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 18 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage F. Incident Management Principle: Capable of managing or investigating an information security incident at all levels. CESG Knowledge Requirements include: xi. Incident Management (F1) Intrusion detection methods Intrusion response Intrusion management Incident handling Intrusion analysis, monitoring and logging Secure Information Management (stakeholder management within organisational context) Incident detection techniques Incident response management (internal and external) Audit log management Forensics (e.g. Evidential standards, Tools, Impact assessment) xii. Forensics (F3) Collecting, processing and preserving digital evidence Device forensics Memory forensics Network forensics Anti-forensic techniques Forensic report writing and expert testimony under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 19 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage G. Audit, Assurance & Review Principle: Capable of defining and implementing the processes and techniques used in verifying compliance against security policies, standards, legal and regulatory requirements. CESG Knowledge Requirements include: Audit methodologies (e.g., Certified Information Systems Auditor - CISA) Vertical/horizontal auditing techniques Audit processes and techniques (e.g. HMG IA Maturity Model) The Audit and Review Skills Group (G1) has been incorporated into Skills Group i above The indicative topic coverage has been included in Skills Group i above under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 20 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage H. Business Continuity Management Principle: Capable of defining the need for, and of implementing processes for, establishing business continuity. CESG Knowledge Requirements include: Business continuity management lifecycle Business Impact Analysis process Related standards (e.g. ISO 22301, ISO 27001, BS 25999, BS 27031) xiii. Business Continuity Planning and Management (H1, H2) Continuity planning Backup Disaster recovery under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 21 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage I. Information Systems Research Principle: Original investigation in order to gain knowledge and understanding relating to information security, including the invention and generation of ideas, performances and artefacts where these lead to new or substantially improved insights; and the use of existing knowledge in experimental development to produce new or substantially improved devices, products and processes. xiv. Research (I2) This aspect is likely to be reflected via the inclusion of a substantial research dissertation component within the Master s degree. Students would be expected to conduct research that is clearly focused upon one or more of the Security Disciplines (A to H) listed above. under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 22 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Indicative Topic Coverage J. Professional Skills These aspects are likely to be crosscutting within a programme and/or represented by a dedicated skills module. Overall, there should be evidence of the programme giving attention towards: teamworking, leadership, communication skills, decision making. under other UK information legislation. Refer disclosure requests to GCHQ on 01242 221491 x30306, email Page 23 of 45
Appendix C: Required structure of application for Full certification This appendix provides details of the information that applicants should provide with their application for Full certification along with the criteria that will be applied. Applicants should refer to section 3.1.1 (page 5) which describes the requirements for an application for Full certification to be in scope. Applicants should also refer to Appendix E which provides advice and guidance on writing and submitting applications. Please note that an HEI should submit one application per Master s degree against this Call. An HEI can submit more than one Master s degree for certification against this Call if the HEI believes that more than one of its Master s degrees meets the criteria below. Each application for Full certification should comprise the following six sections: 1. Institution s letter of support for the application (up to one side of A4). 2. Description of the applicant (up to five sides of A4, excluding CVs). 3. Description of the Master s degree in Cyber Security (up to ten sides of A4, excluding the module descriptions). 4. Assessment materials and external examiner s report (up to five sides of A4, excluding copies of examination papers, copies of information provided for coursework and copy of external examiner s report). 5. Original research dissertations (up to five sides of A4, excluding list of dissertation titles and copies of dissertations). 6. Student numbers and grades achieved (up to five sides of A4). Documents should be in Word or pdf format with the font size no smaller than 10pt. Unless specifically asked for, additional pages and other material in addition to that outlined above will not be read and will not therefore form part of the assessment for certification. All information provided will be treated confidentially and used only for the purposes of assessing applications. 1 HEI s letter of support for the application Please provide a signed letter from the Vice Chancellor (or equivalent) showing support for the HEI s application to have a Master s degree in Cyber Security considered for certification by GCHQ. 2 Description of the applicant Please ensure that you cover the following points: a. The names and structure of the department(s)/group(s)/school(s) responsible for the Master s degree together with the names, seniority and roles of the members of staff Page 24 of 45
responsible for delivering the degree content, setting and marking examinations, supervising dissertations, etc. b. Please describe any recent investments from the HEI, government, industry etc. in the groups running the Master s degree programme. c. Please describe any external linkages that add value to the Master s degree: e.g., visiting lecturers with specialist knowledge from other academic departments, government or industry; projects suggested, and monitored, by industry; etc. d. Please describe the process used to review and re-new the course content in order to keep it up to date, for example: how often is the course content reviewed, by whom, and what external advice is taken (e.g., industrial advisory boards). e. Please describe the facilities available to Master s students in general and those dedicated to students undertaking the Master s degree specifically, for example: computer laboratories, dedicated equipment, library (access to text-books), on-line journal subscription (for research dissertations), etc. f. For each member of staff named above please provide a CV (up to 2 pages in length) which provides details of: academic background knowledge and expertise in cyber security e.g., references to recent publications, working with industry and/or government esteem indicators e.g., editorships, invited talks, membership of national and international advisory groups etc. CVs should go in an appendix to section 2. 2.1 Criteria to be applied i. There should be a coherent team responsible for delivering the Master s, with clear roles and responsibilities. ii. The team members delivering the modules, setting the examinations and marking papers should have the appropriate technical knowledge and skills. iii. The team should be well supported by the HEI. It would be desirable to see that the Master s degree programme has valuable external linkages. iv. There should be a well-defined process for keeping the Master s degree up to date that takes account of appropriate internal and external advice. v. Students undertaking the Master s should have access to well-equipped modern computer laboratories with easy access to information on the latest developments in cyber security. Page 25 of 45
3 Description of the Master s degree in Cyber Security Please ensure that you cover the following points: a. Please provide a high-level description of the Master s degree. This should include: the name of the degree and the specific degree awarded (e.g., MSc etc.) the objectives and expected learning outcomes of the degree as a grounding for a Master s qualification how the degree satisfies the QAA qualification framework for Master s level the number of academic years the degree has been running and whether it is being delivered in academic year 2014 2015 the overall structure of the degree e.g., the set of taught modules, which modules are core and which are optional, the number of credits awarded for each module, the number of credits awarded for the original research dissertation a description of how the degree is structured to accommodate part-time students, if applicable b. Please provide a table (Table 3.1) that shows for each taught module 13 : the member(s) of staff delivering the module which Security Discipline(s) (Appendix B) the module covers if it does not cover a Security Discipline please state NONE the number of credits in the module the percentage of the module addressing the Security Disciplines the number of credits in the module that can be considered to be addressing the Security Disciplines obtained from the product of the 3 rd and 4 th bullet points c. In Table 3.1, please also clarify the estimated total number of credits addressing Security Disciplines A to H and the total number of credits in the taught component of the degree. Please express the ratio of these figures as your estimate of the percentage of the taught component of the Master s degree that can be mapped to Security Disciplines A to H. 13 Applicants may find it helpful to refer to the document Certification General Masters QandAs 01 May 2014 available at http://www.cesg.gov.uk/awarenesstraining/academia/pages/masters-degrees.aspx. The document describes the process to be used for determining the percentage of the taught modules addressing the Security Disciplines. Page 26 of 45
Module Module 1.. Module n Total Table 3.1 Member(s) of staff Security Discipline(s) covered (A to H) Number of credits in module Estimated percentage of module addressing Security Disciplines Estimated number of credits in module addressing Security Disciplines d. For each module that addresses a Security Discipline, please provide a module description to include the syllabus/topics covered and the expected learning outcomes. Please include in each module description a list of the Skills Groups (Appendix B) that the module covers. The module descriptions should be placed in an appendix to section 3. e. With reference to Appendix B, please provide an overview of how the topic coverage required for a General Cyber Security Master s degree is achieved by completing a table (Table 3.2) of the following form covering Security Disciplines A to H and Skills Groups i to xiii: Page 27 of 45
Security Discipline Skills Group Module(s) in which topics in Skills Group are covered A. Information Security Management B. Information Risk Management C. Implementing Secure Systems D. Information Assurance Methodologies and Testing E. Operational Security Management F. Incident Management G. Audit, Assurance and Review H. Business Continuity Management Table 3.2 i. Policy, Strategy, Awareness and Audit ii. Legal and Regulatory Environment iii. Risk Assessment and Management iv. Security Architecture v. Secure Development vi. Control Systems vii. Information Assurance Methodologies viii. Secure Testing ix. Secure Operations Management and Service Delivery x. Vulnerability Assessment xi. Incident Management xii. Forensics Audit and Review Included in Skills Group i above xiii. Business Continuity Planning and Management Please provide information under Skills Group i above f. For Master s degrees with core and optional modules please identify the permitted combinations of core and optional taught modules that DO cover at least 9 of the Skills Groups in Table 3.2. g. For Master s degrees in which the original research dissertation accounts for more than 45% of the credits available, please clarify how the remainder of the degree adequately covers the required number of Skills Groups. h. Please describe how Security Discipline J, Professional Skills (Appendix B), is addressed in the Master s degree. By way of example, describe how team-working, communication skills etc. Page 28 of 45
are covered within the degree programme as a whole it is not a requirement to have a separate dedicated module covering Professional Skills. 3.1 Criteria to be applied i. The objectives and anticipated learning outcomes for students undertaking the Master s should be clearly articulated. ii. The degree must have had a cohort of students successfully complete the degree in academic year 2013 2014 and it must be currently active in academic year 2014-2015. iii. The degree satisfies the QAA qualification framework for Master s level. iv. Part-time students should cover the same breadth and depth of content as one-year, full time students. v. The completed Table 3.1 must show that at least one of the following options is met: at least 70% of the taught modules in the Master s must be able to be mapped to Security Disciplines A to H for Master s degrees that comprise a broad set of optional modules from which students can choose, it must be the case that students can select a set of taught modules in which at least 70% of the modules in the set can be mapped to Security Disciplines A to H vi. The completed Table 3.2 must show that the taught modules provide coverage of at least 9 of the Skills Groups i to xiii listed in Table 3.2. vii. Permitted combinations of core and optional modules that DO cover at least 9 of the Skills Groups listed in Table 3.2 must be clearly identified. There must be at least one combination of core and optional modules that covers at least 9 of the Skills Groups listed in Table 3.2. viii. For the case of Master s degrees where the original research dissertation accounts for more than 45% of the credits available, it must be clear that the remainder of the degree is able to adequately cover the required number of Skills Groups. ix. Under the Professional Skills Security Discipline (Discipline J, Appendix A), the Master s degree should address the following topics: team-working, communication skills, leadership and decision making. 4 Assessment materials and external examiner s report Please ensure you cover the following: a. Please describe the overall approach to assessment of the taught modules on the Master s degree. This should include: assessment methodology marking scheme the pass mark for individual modules and the taught part of the degree overall b. Please describe how the overall mark for the degree as a whole is worked out from the taught component and research dissertation component. Please describe the mark required to achieve pass, merit and distinction (or equivalent) of the overall degree. Page 29 of 45