Threats to our societies, governments and commercial infrastructures are very real due to the growth of terrorism and organised covert criminal networks.
Breaches of security on buildings, at border controls and in cyberspace have contributed to some of the world’s most high-profile terrorist and criminal atrocities this millennium. These issues are to be scrutinised as the first degree of its kind in the UK is launched at the University of Abertay Dundee.
Cyber crime in particular is now rated one of the fastest-growing criminal activities, and the new MSc Intelligence and Security Informatics course will arm students with the skills to analyse and combat everything from financial scams, hacking and virus attacks to email stalking and identity fraud.
Dr Leslie Ball, Lecturer in Software Applications in Abertay’s School of Computing and Engineering Systems said, “Given that computers underpin almost every sector of society, it is inevitable that some people see the wired world as an opportunity to make money or commit crime.
“There isn’t a day that goes by when cyber crime isn’t in the news, whether it be the latest money-making scam, identify theft or its role in the latest terrorist attack.
“Due to its international flavour and appeal, and its combination of disciplines, this new and highly innovative postgraduate course will equip students will the technical and analytical skills and knowledge required for policy-making roles in governments and police authorities within the UK and further afield,” he added.
The course is focused on the theme of homeland and international security, drawing on the computing and social sciences. It will explore ‘biometrics’, a discipline relating to the identification of individuals based on physiological characteristics such as fingerprinting, face and retinal analysis but also on behavioural biometrics such as voice and gait.
Digital Forensics will also feature as a discipline that analyses “trails” of cyberspace evidence that could lead to conviction or the disruption of criminal networks. State of the art computing technologies incorporating artificial intelligence, geographic information systems and data mining will be used to raise the quality of “intelligence” and crime data.
While it may be advantageous to have a numerate or technical computing background, the course should also appeal to those with backgrounds in sociology and psychology.
These disciplines are included in the course as there is a need to understand the social and ethical context of biometrics and modern surveillance systems as well as their technical aspects. Underpinning the course as a whole is a requirement for more enhanced decision-making within law enforcement and government agencies.
Delivery of the degree, which will commence in September 2010, will be supported by Abertay University’s well-documented expertise in cutting-edge technology combined with active multi-disciplinary research groups
Those exiting the course after successful completion of the taught component (i.e. Postgraduate Diploma) would be eligible for the award of Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) Intelligence and Security Informatics.
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Notes for editors
Abertay University launched Britain’s first undergraduate degree course in computer hacking, the BSc (Hons) in Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures, in 2006, and a masters degree in the same subject two years later.
The University hosts several researchers and research teams working in the areas of biometric security and forensic science.
Media enquiries: Kevin Coe, tel 07850 904110, email k.coe@abertay.ac.uk