Module 1 · Unit 2 · 7 Lessons
COMP 6660 · Enterprise Cybersecurity Core Cybersecurity Technologies and Access Control
Examines the cryptographic, identity, and access-control technologies that enforce enterprise security policy — from encryption algorithms and key management through PKI, IAM, authentication and authorization models, and the principles of Zero Trust.
01 Unit overview
Where Unit 1 asked what must be protected and why, Unit 2 asks how — through cryptography, identity, and access control.
The unit begins with cryptographic foundations: the security properties cryptographic systems must satisfy, the role of key management, and how cryptographic choices fail in practice. Students then compare the two great families of algorithms. Symmetric cryptography covers DES, Triple DES, and AES, with attention to mode selection and key distribution. Asymmetric cryptography covers RSA, elliptic-curve cryptography, and Diffie–Hellman key exchange, including the trade-offs between them.
These primitives are then assembled into trust infrastructure. Digital signatures, certificates, certificate authorities, and trust models are examined through the lens of public key infrastructure — how an enterprise decides what and whom to trust, and how that trust is revoked or renewed.
The second half of the unit turns to identity and access. Students study identity and access management across the identity lifecycle, including provisioning, de-provisioning, and federation. They then evaluate authentication mechanisms (MFA, single sign-on) and access-control models (RBAC, ABAC), selecting approaches appropriate to enterprise context.
The unit closes with Zero Trust — the architectural paradigm that unifies identity, least privilege, continuous verification, and micro-segmentation. Zero Trust runs through the rest of the course and is the research focus of Assignment 1.
| Unit | 2 — Core Cybersecurity Technologies and Access Control |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 — Foundations and Technologies |
| Lessons | 7 (Lessons 2.1–2.7) |
| Discussion forum | Forum 2 — Identity, Access Control, and Zero Trust |
| Assessed by | Assignment 1 (20%) — with Unit 1 |
| Recommended weeks | Weeks 3–5 |
| Primary CLOs | CLO3, CLO4, CLO5 |
02 Unit learning outcomes
Upon completion of Unit 2, students will be able to:
Cryptography
- Explain core cryptographic principles.
- Compare symmetric and asymmetric algorithms and select them appropriately.
- Explain public key infrastructure and validate digital trust mechanisms.
Identity & Access
- Evaluate authentication technologies.
- Design access-control solutions.
- Apply identity-management approaches, including federation and lifecycle governance.
Zero Trust
- Explain the principles of Zero Trust Architecture.
- Apply Zero Trust concepts — continuous verification, least privilege, micro-segmentation — to enterprise environments.
Full statement
The authoritative unit learning outcomes, including their mapping to the nine course learning outcomes, are published on the Unit 2 learning outcomes page.
03 Lessons in this unit
Unit 2 contains seven lessons. Lessons 2.1–2.4 build the cryptographic foundation; Lessons 2.5–2.7 apply it to identity, access, and Zero Trust.
Cryptographic Foundations
Encryption, key management, and the security principles that cryptographic systems must satisfy — plus the practical ways they fail.
Topics: encryption · key management · security principles
Lesson 2.2Symmetric Cryptography
DES, Triple DES, and AES — comparing algorithms and selecting them appropriately for enterprise workloads.
Topics: DES · Triple DES · AES
Lesson 2.3Asymmetric Cryptography
Public-key cryptography: RSA, elliptic-curve cryptography, and Diffie–Hellman key exchange.
Topics: RSA · ECC · Diffie-Hellman
Lesson 2.4Digital Signatures and PKI
Certificates, certificate authorities, and trust models — how enterprises establish and validate digital trust.
Topics: certificates · certificate authorities · trust models
Lesson 2.5Identity and Access Management
IAM architecture, the identity lifecycle, federation, and identity governance.
Topics: IAM · identity lifecycle · federation
Lesson 2.6Authentication and Authorization
MFA, single sign-on, RBAC, and ABAC — comparing access-control models and selecting authentication approaches.
Topics: MFA · SSO · RBAC · ABAC
Lesson 2.7Zero Trust Principles
Continuous verification, least privilege, and micro-segmentation — applying Zero Trust concepts to enterprise environments.
Topics: continuous verification · least privilege · micro-segmentation
04 Discussion and assessment
Forum 2 — Identity, Access Control, and Zero Trust
Unit 2 hosts the second graded discussion forum. Contribute an initial posting of approximately 300–500 words supported by scholarly sources, plus at least two meaningful responses to classmates.
Example discussion topics:
- Zero Trust adoption experiences.
- MFA effectiveness.
- IAM challenges.
How Unit 2 is assessed
Unit 2 is assessed through Assignment 1 — Enterprise Cybersecurity Foundations and Technologies (20% of the final grade), which covers Units 1 and 2.
Technical questions include:
- Design a Zero Trust Architecture for a distributed enterprise.
- Compare AES and RSA for enterprise applications.
- Design an IAM solution for a healthcare organization.
- Evaluate authentication mechanisms for preventing credential-based attacks.
- Analyse how Zero Trust contributes to confidentiality, integrity, availability, and accountability.
Reading order
Complete Lessons 2.1–2.4 before starting Lesson 2.5. Identity and access management assumes a working understanding of the cryptographic primitives — particularly digital signatures and PKI — introduced in the first half of the unit.