FAQ 07: Diploma in Computer Engineering (DCPE) also covers cyber security, but there are also plenty of IT courses that cover cyber security. What are the differences?

DCPE and many IT courses (you can find at least one such course in each poly) cover Cyber Security in the curriculum, but there are significant differences among the courses. Some courses (including DCPE) emphasize on the security of the networks (infrastructure - how to protect your network from being hacked), i.e. “Network Security”, while other courses emphasize on protecting the servers, security management, information technology, law, etc, i.e. “Information Security”. In a nutshell, DCPE and IT courses cover two different areas of Cyber Security. 

Probably one can use the analogy of the defence of a medieval castle to explain the differences: “Network Security” is about the army protecting the castle from the enemies, while “Cyber Security” is about the bodyguards protecting the King from the assassins.

When defending a castle, the soldiers make use of the high walls and towers of the castle to protect the citizens from the enemies. The enemies will try to overcome the defence with siege weapons like catapults, trebuchets, battering rams, etc. In the IT world, this defence is provided by networking devices called “Firewalls”, protecting the network from the intruders outside the network. This is what DCPE covers: How networks may be attacked/hacked, and how to protect the networks. DCPE students will learn to configure Firewall devices to filter/block undesired traffic; hardening routers and switches to prevent hacking of infrastructure; enhancing the security of Wireless networks; Network Penetration Test; Intrusion Detection and Intrusion Prevention.

On the other hand, trading is essential to the economy of a kingdom, so traders are allowed into the castle to do business. But, there could be assassins disguised as traders, sneaking into the castle, trying to assassinate the king. The bodyguards of the king are therefore needed to protect the king from any harm. In the IT world, the “traders” are internet users (customers) accessing e-business servers in a network, but some traffic from the internet could be malicious, trying to attack the servers. This is what many cyber security courses cover: How servers may be attacked/hacked, and how to protect the servers; how to minimise the vulnerabilities of e-business with careful coding.

Both types of protection are needed to ensure uninterrupted operation of our computer systems and services. The two group of courses emphasize on different aspects of the cyber security, but they work hand-in-hand to offer complete protection.