LoadingLoadingLoadingLoadingDefend organisations in an age of persistent threats
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Cyber attacks cost the global economy trillions annually. This MSc develops practitioners who can protect networks, respond to breaches, and embed security culture across organisations. You will study penetration testing methodology, digital forensics, secure software development, and security governance frameworks including ISO 27001 and NIST CSF. Labs run in isolated virtual environments with realistic attack scenarios.
Labs run in isolated virtual environments — legal and ethical scope is taught before any offensive technique. You will complete a full breach-response capstone from detection through board reporting. Content aligns with CompTIA Security+ and CEH knowledge domains.
Faculty spotlight
Professor Marcus Chen, ex-CISO in financial services, leads Security Governance; Dr. Yuki Tanaka runs red-team/blue-team intensives.
Study online
Tuition is free. Examinations are free. There is no exam fee. Study from anywhere in the world.
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| CY501 | Network Security & Protocols Secure networks from the protocol up: attack surface, DNS and routing security, segmentation and zero trust, detection and secure tunnels.
| 3 · 30 h |
| CY502 | Cryptography & PKI Understand and correctly apply modern cryptography, from block-cipher modes and hashes to signatures, key exchange and certificate infrastructure.
| 3 · 30 h |
| CY503 | Operating System & Application Security Analyse OS access control and memory-safety failures, harden Windows and Linux, and find and fix common web application vulnerabilities.
| 3 · 30 h |
| CY504 | Security Governance & Risk Management Govern security as a business risk: frameworks, risk assessment, ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST CSF, controls and metrics, continuity and supplier risk.
| 3 · 30 h |
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| CY505 | Penetration Testing Methodology Plan and run a lawful, scoped penetration test from reconnaissance to exploitation and privilege escalation, and write a report that gets issues fixed.
| 3 · 30 h |
| CY506 | Digital Forensics & Incident Response Respond to incidents and acquire, preserve and analyse disk, memory and network evidence to a standard that survives scrutiny.
|
| Code | Course | Credits · hours |
|---|---|---|
| CY601 | Advanced Threat Intelligence Produce actionable threat intelligence with the intelligence cycle, adversary models such as MITRE ATT&CK, OSINT, hunting and structured sharing.
| 3 · 30 h |
| CY602 | Security Leadership & Compliance Lead a security function: strategy, data-protection and sector regulation, security culture, crisis communication and reporting to the board.
|
Modules are assessed through a published mix of coursework, applied projects, and examinations. Exam windows are announced in advance so students in other time zones are not forced into overnight sittings. Alternative arrangements are available where documented.
The published duration is 24 months. Teaching language: English. Actual time-to-complete depends on mode and any recognised prior learning.
This is a fully online award. You study from your country. No student visa and no campus relocation are required.
Degree tuition for this award is published as £0 / tuition-free on the online pathway. Examination or administrative fees may apply at checkout — never an annual tuition invoice. Check the Fees page for any extras.
Requirements are grouped on this page (academic, English, documents). Equivalent qualifications are considered. English may be waived after prior English-medium study.
Assessment is typically a mix of coursework, projects, and examinations. Doctoral awards include a thesis or dissertation and an oral examination. Details sit in the programme specification and module outlines.
Recognition of the award for local employment, professional licence, or ministry attestation is decided by your employer or regulator. Arab Leadership University publishes verification pages for certificates. We do not claim automatic equivalence in every country.
Start an application on this website. Progress is saved from the first step. Admissions: admissions@aleaderuni.com.
Recognised & Accredited
| 3 · 30 h |
| CY507 | Cloud Security Architecture Design secure cloud workloads: shared responsibility, identity, network and data protection, container and Kubernetes security, posture management.
| 3 · 30 h |
| CY508 | Secure Software Development (DevSecOps) Build security into delivery: threat modelling, secure coding, SAST/DAST/SCA, pipeline and supply-chain security, secrets and runtime protection.
| 3 · 30 h |
| 3 · 30 h |
| CY603 | MSc Cybersecurity Capstone An independent, supervised security project, from scoped proposal and legal-ethical approval to tested results, a report and responsible disclosure.
| 6 · 60 h |