Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Human-Centered Security

Credit Points: 12.00


Course Coordinator: Asangi Jayatilaka

Course Coordinator Phone: -

Course Coordinator Email: Asangi.Jayatilaka@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: -

Course Coordinator Availability: Contact via email


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Enforced Pre-Requisite Courses 

Successful completion of the following course/s: 

If you have completed prior studies at RMIT or another institution that developed the skills and knowledge covered in the above course/s you may be eligible to apply for credit transfer.

Alternatively, if you have prior relevant work experience that developed the skills and knowledge covered in the above course/s you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning.

Please follow the link for further information on how to apply for credit for prior study or experience.


Course Description

The course aims to provide you with an understanding of how human factors can be applied in designing human-centric solutions to complex problems in the cybersecurity context.

In particular, the course will take a multi-disciplinary approach to provide you the required knowledge and skills to identify and analyse human behaviour in relation to cyber security and identify how to design and development of solutions considering them.  You will understand how humans represent value but also risk to an organization. You will develop expertise that enables them to critique cybersecurity tools considering the trade-off between usability and security. The topics covered in this course include the need for human-centric cybersecurity; human decision-making and behaviour change relevant to the cybersecurity context; social engineering attacks; usability and security trade-off; ethics and policy; and, human-centred cybersecurity in the age of emerging technologies such as the advancement of AI.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This is an option course in Threat Analysis option in MC159 Master of Cyber Security program.   

For more information on the program learning outcomes for your program, please see the program guide.


Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • CLO1: Discuss the influence of human factors  and how human behaviour can be influenced in the cyber security context.
  • CLO2: Conduct multi-disciplinary research to better design and develop human-centric solutions into real-world cyber security problems.
  • CLO3: Critique scientific research papers related to human-centric cyber security
  • CLO4: Demonstrate an understanding of social engineering and its significant impact.
  • CLO5: Effectively work and communicate with team members to identify explore real world cyber security problems and recommend solutions.
  • CLO6: Design and critique cyber security tools considering usability and security trade-off


Overview of Learning Activities

The main concepts will be introduced via pre-recorded lectures. Delivery may be face to face, online or a mix of both. 

Tutorials/labs will use discussion, case studies, and exercises to reinforce and illustrate the concepts. Some exercises will be individual and assessed, to provide feedback to you on your understanding.

You are expected to be self-directed, studying independently outside class. This includes time spent reading and studying lecture notes and prescribed readings in order to better understand the concepts; working through examples and case studies that illustrate those concepts; and performing exercises and assignments designed by the teachers to reinforce concepts and develop practical skills across a variety of problem types.


Overview of Learning Resources

You are encouraged to bring your laptops and use the freely available software to conduct the laboratories. RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through myRMIT Studies Course. The learning resources accessible through myRMIT Studies Course include: course related material, e-books, journals and databases. References to the prescribed textbook and other relevant materials will be provided, and you will be expected to refer to these Any software required for the performance of exercises and assignments will be installed for access on RMIT servers and/or available for installation on personal computers/laptops.

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal. 


Overview of Assessment

This course has no hurdle requirements.

You are expected to do four assessment (assignment) tasks. Task 2, 3, 4 should be done individually, and the task 1 should be done as a group project.

Assessment Task 1: Human-centric cyber security research project
Weighting 40%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 4, 5

Assessment Task 2: Research paper review and reflection (individual)
Weighting 20%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 3, 4

Assessment Task 3: Written report analysing a case study focusing on security vs usability trade-off (individual)  
Weighting 25%
This assessment task supports CLOs  1, 4, 6

Assessment task 4: Online quizzes (individual) 
Weighting 15%
This assessment task supports CLOs  1, 4

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.