Module 2 · Unit 5 · 8 Lessons
COMP 6660 · Enterprise Cybersecurity Enterprise Systems and Infrastructure Security
Applies security principles across the enterprise estate — from operating systems and endpoints to applications, databases, cloud platforms, containers, mobile and IoT devices, and critical infrastructure.
01 Unit overview
Most modern breaches are not defeated at a single control — they cross platforms. Unit 5 examines security at each layer of the enterprise estate and the boundaries between them.
The unit begins at the operating system: hardening, privilege management, patching, and host-based monitoring. This leads naturally into endpoint security, where EDR, device management, and detection at the endpoint have become central to enterprise defence — especially as endpoints no longer sit behind a perimeter.
Application security follows, covering secure development, the OWASP risk families, code review, dependency management, and DevSecOps practice. Database security addresses access control, encryption at rest and in flight, auditing, and data-masking strategies — the controls that protect the asset the enterprise ultimately exists to safeguard.
The unit then shifts to the platforms that now host most enterprise workloads. Cloud security is examined through the shared responsibility model, cloud identity, misconfiguration, and cloud-native controls. Container and virtualisation security covers image provenance, orchestration hardening, runtime protection, and hypervisor risk. Mobile and IoT security extends the estate to devices the enterprise does not fully control, including BYOD and operational devices at scale.
The unit closes with critical infrastructure security: OT/IT convergence, industrial control systems, regulatory obligations, and the national-resilience dimension. Unit 5 is assessed through Assignment 2 and Forum 5, and provides the platform vocabulary that Module 3's governance material assumes.
| Unit | 5 — Enterprise Systems and Infrastructure Security |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 — Threats, Architecture, and Infrastructure Protection |
| Lessons | 8 (Lessons 5.1–5.8) |
| Discussion forum | Forum 5 — Systems and Infrastructure Security |
| Assessed by | Assignment 2 (20%) — with Units 3 and 4 |
| Recommended weeks | Weeks 10–11 |
| Primary CLOs | CLO3, CLO4, CLO5, CLO8 |
02 Unit learning outcomes
Upon completion of Unit 5, students will be able to:
Infrastructure
- Secure enterprise infrastructures across operating systems, endpoints, applications, and databases.
- Apply hardening, patch management, and least-privilege principles consistently.
Platforms
- Evaluate cloud and platform security, including shared responsibility, identity, and misconfiguration risk.
- Assess container, virtualisation, mobile, and IoT security controls.
Emerging threats
- Analyse emerging infrastructure threats, including those affecting critical infrastructure.
- Recommend controls appropriate to OT/IT convergence and regulated environments.
Full statement
The authoritative unit learning outcomes, including their mapping to the nine course learning outcomes, are published on the Unit 5 learning outcomes page.
03 Lessons in this unit
Unit 5 contains eight lessons. Lessons 5.1–5.4 cover the traditional compute stack; Lessons 5.5–5.8 extend the analysis to cloud, container, device, and critical-infrastructure environments.
Operating System Security
Hardening, privilege management, patching, and host-based monitoring.
Topics: hardening · privilege management · patching · host monitoring
Lesson 5.2Endpoint Security
EDR, endpoint hardening, device management, and detection at the endpoint.
Topics: EDR · endpoint hardening · device management · endpoint detection
Lesson 5.3Application Security
Secure development, OWASP risks, code review, dependency management, and DevSecOps.
Topics: secure development · OWASP · code review · dependencies · DevSecOps
Lesson 5.4Database Security
Access control, encryption at rest and in flight, auditing, and data-masking strategies.
Topics: access control · encryption · auditing · data masking
Lesson 5.5Cloud Security
Shared responsibility, identity in the cloud, misconfiguration, and cloud-native controls.
Topics: shared responsibility · cloud identity · misconfiguration · cloud-native controls
Lesson 5.6Container and Virtualization Security
Image provenance, orchestration hardening, runtime protection, and hypervisor risk.
Topics: image provenance · orchestration hardening · runtime protection · hypervisor risk
Lesson 5.7Mobile and IoT Security
Mobile threat models, BYOD, IoT constraints, and securing operational devices at scale.
Topics: mobile threat models · BYOD · IoT constraints · device scale
Lesson 5.8Critical Infrastructure Security
OT/IT convergence, industrial control systems, regulatory obligations, and national resilience.
Topics: OT/IT convergence · ICS · regulation · national resilience
04 Discussion and assessment
Forum 5 — Systems and Infrastructure Security
Unit 5 hosts the fifth 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:
- Cloud security governance.
- Container security.
- Critical infrastructure protection.
How Unit 5 is assessed
Unit 5 is assessed through Assignment 2 — Enterprise Threat Analysis and Security Architecture (20% of the final grade), which covers Units 3, 4, and 5.
Technical questions drawn from Unit 5 include:
- Design a secure cloud-migration architecture.
- Design a defence-in-depth strategy for a financial institution.
Unit 5 also supplies the platform context for the governance and resilience material in Module 3 and for Part C of the final examination.
Reading order
Lessons 5.1–5.4 establish the compute-stack vocabulary that the platform lessons assume. Complete them before tackling cloud, container, mobile, and critical-infrastructure security.