Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust

Overview

Our societies are critically dependent on computer software. Electronic systems are everywhere, and governments, financial and transport organisations, or telecommunication companies all possess and manage huge amounts of sensitive information concerning all of our everyday activities.

With the emergence of new systems and services such as: electronic IDs and passports, electronic payment systems and loyalty schemes, electronic tickets, and telecommunication systems, every aspect of our life is relying on / recorded by some computerised system. As such, we have been witnessing a significant increase in attacks targeting computing infrastructure. The cyber security threat has been characterised as serious as terrorism by the GCHQ, therefore a need for graduates with highly specialised training in this area is ever-growing.

Cyber security and privacy is the study of the computational principles, methods and mechanisms for safe-guarding these sensitive applications. Graduates of the Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust programme from from The University of Edinburgh will learn how to evaluate, design, and implement secure and trustworthy systems in complex distributed systems.

Many research areas have tackled parts of this problem – students on this degree will experience training from academic experts in a uniquely broad combination of theory and practice: Secure Software, Cryptography, Secure Hardware, Verification, Post Quantum, Data Privacy, Usability, Fintech, Health, Smart Contracts, Distributed Ledgers, Privacy Preserving Data Mining. The teaching team of the MSc in Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust is lined up with world class researchers and educators. In particular, the University has been recognised by GCHQ/NCSC as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research, in recognition of its critical mass in leading edge cyber security research.

Career opportunities

This degree will put you at the cutting edge of the field of cyber security, privacy, and trust, opening a host of opportunities in the commercial sector, public and academic sectors.

The graduates will have the necessary background to keep up with developments in cyber security, both in research and engineering.

Typical areas to pursue a career include:

• Security Analyst
• Security Architect
• Security Engineer
• Security Administrator
• Cyber Risk Analyst
• Cryptographer
• Cryptanalyst
• Security Consultant
• Security Auditor
• Secure Software Developer
• Penetration Tester
• Ethical Hacker
• Security Researcher (in academia or industry)
• security officers of various kinds in government and public sector positions (the National Cyber Security Centre has explicitly expressed interest in collaborating with our program).

There are well established career development paths and certification schemes including CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) run by ISC2 (International Information System Security Certification Consortium).