Cybersecurity METU Middle East Technical University

Overview

Over the past decades, developments in information technology have changed the way we live, and at an unprecedented rate. This has led to countless new possibilities, as well has introducing new risks. The benefits have been so great that computers have permeated all areas of life, and reliance on complex, interconnected computer systems has constantly increased. Business, communication, finance, energy, health, governance, intelligence, defense, and even entertainment: we depend on computers for everything. Digital data stores hold state secrets, industrial secrets and intimate personal secrets alike. Thus, compromising the security of computers has become equivalent to compromising the security of states, businesses, and individuals.

They say with great power comes great responsibility. There is no question that computers have granted us powers that were previously unimaginable. As a student of cybersecurity, you will learn to wield this power, and to carry the responsibility that comes with it. You will become proficient at getting computers to do what you want, and you will learn how to prevent others from abusing those same abilities. In doing so, you will acquire the skills needed to ensure that future generations can look back to the dawn of the computer revolution, and remember it as a good thing.

Program Aims

Cybersecurity is a chain that is only as strong as its weakest link. This makes specializing in cybersecurity somewhat different than other fields. In order to evaluate or assure the security of a system you need to know how individual components work at a fundamental level, and you need to know how these come together to form the system. Developing a system to perform a specific function is hard. Ensuring that it only performs that specific function as expected and nothing else is much harder. The CSEC M.S. program is designed to empower its students with the skills needed to successfully deal with this complexity.

Absolute security is not attainable. The student is taught how to approach the problem of coming up with meaningful security requirements and manage risks in a practical manner. Each student is expected to gain a comprehensive understanding of how diverse ideas and technologies come together to fulfill such requirements. The broad course offering allows students to go further and gain in-depth knowledge on constituent fields, such as cryptography and network security. 

Students of the Cybersecurity from METU Middle East Technical University are taught how security can be compromised in practice with hands-on training and lab work. They also learn what to do if a system they are responsible for is breached, taking mitigatory actions to alleviate the damage, and discovering what went wrong and what must be done to avoid it happening again. Moreover, they are taught about organizational security management and certification issues. As is the case with all Informatics Institute programs, CSEC M.S. also explores interdisciplinary such as the legal dimension of cybersecurity.