TEK5570 ¨C Project Course in Cyber-Physical Systems Security

Course content

In this course, you will engage in hands-on, project-based research to tackle real-world challenges in cyber-physical systems security. You will?work collaboratively in teams, supported by course faculty members and external invited experts, exploring and addressing complex, real-world challenges in the domain of cyber-physical systems security. The course is designed to help students acquire a deeper understanding of interdisciplinary problem-solving while developing essential technical, analytical, and collaborative skills.

You will work on pre-selected topics addressing cutting-edge issues such as identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities in cyber-physical systems (CPSs), developing strategies to assess risks, analyzing cascading effects of incidents across interconnected cyber-physical systems, investigating human factors including awareness and response training, etc. Through different projects across various domains, you will actively explore these challenges and contribute to appropriate solutions that are informed by current state-of-the-art research and feedback from experts in the field.

The project-based course addresses the following topics:

• AI and cybersecurity interactions with applications in cyber-physical systems
• cyber threat taxonomies
• risk management and threat modelling in cyber-physical systems
• threat detection, mitigation and resilience strategies
• cyber awareness and human-centered security in cyber-physical systems
• impact of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure sectors

Learning outcome

Through active engagement with and successful completion of the course, you will gain:

Knowledge

• Understanding of common and emerging cybersecurity threats and mitigation along with resilience strategies specific to cyber-physical systems and sectors
• Understanding of potential cyber threats and vulnerabilities that could lead to cyber attacks
• Understand the AI-related potential of cybersecurity
• Knowledge of relevant internationally security standards and frameworks
• Knowledge of different threat modelling approaches

Skills

• Capacity to select and apply frameworks, methods, standards or tools to support cybersecurity solutions in CPSs
• Ability to conduct threat modelling and identify vulnerabilities in cyber-physical systems
• Ability to perform risk management process

General competence

• Work effectively in multidisciplinary teams
• Critical thinking and problem-solving in the context of cyber threats
• Exercise creativity and incorporate diverse inputs, while working on open ended problems
• Formulate research questions and identify an appropriate solution methodology
• Communicate their conclusions and knowledge to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear manner
• Conduct research when little open information is available

Admission to the course

Students admitted at UiO must?apply for courses?in Studentweb.?

This course is mandatory for students in?Security in cyber-physical systems (programme option).?Students enrolled in other master's degree programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may?apply to take this course as a single course student.?If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

This course has a limited capacity, and students will be prioritised in the following order:

1. Students admitted to the master's programme Informatics: Information Security, programme option Security in Cyber-Physical Systems

2. Students admitted to the master's programme in Informatics: Information Security, programme option Information Security

3. Other master's students who have completed the course TEK4560 ¨C Basic Security in Cyber-Physical Systems

4. Students on other master's programmes at UiO with the course on their approved study plan

5. Other students

Applicants are ranked based on credits in each group. All applicants within group 1 are ranked before applicants falling within group 2, and so on. For students with the same number of credits within each group, admission is determined through a random draw.

Recommended previous knowledge

This course is closely related to the course TEK4560 ¨C Basic Security in Cyber-Physical Systems. Students should have a foundational understanding of (i) cyber-physical systems and (ii) cybersecurity aspects within these systems. Therefore, it is recommended that students have successfully completed the TEK4560 course and possess a basic proficiency in the English language.

Teaching

3 hours of teaching per week throughout the semester.

This course has mandatory exercises (five group-based project deliverables)?that must be approved before you can take the final?exam (which includes a final presentation of these deliverables).

The course lectures are given at Department of Technology Systems in Kjeller Research Park.?See the schedule for the student bus from Campus Blindern.

The candidates must complete both projects and conduct the final presentation in the same semester.

Examination

Grading will be based on a final oral exam which counts 100% towards the final grade.

During the oral exam, the students will present the five project deliverables.

The candidates must complete the projects and conduct the final presentation in the same semester.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F?is a fail. Read more about?the grading system.

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are?offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• How to use AI as a student
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.