Cyber Security and Digital Forensics

Cyber security and digital forensics addresses one of the most pressing technological challenges of our time. As our personal, professional, and governmental lives have moved online, the vulnerabilities created by that connectivity have multiplied, and the criminals and state actors who exploit those vulnerabilities have become increasingly sophisticated. Cyber security concerns the protection of systems, networks, and data from attack; digital forensics is the disciplined investigation of digital evidence, whether to identify the perpetrators of cybercrime, to analyse malware, or to recover data after an incident.

At Leeds Beckett you will develop practical and theoretical skills in both areas, studying network security, cryptography, ethical hacking and penetration testing, malware analysis, digital evidence and forensic investigation, and the legal and ethical frameworks that govern both security practice and forensic investigation. You will learn to think like an attacker in order to defend effectively, and you will develop the rigorous, methodical approach to evidence that digital forensics demands. The three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich placement year and a year abroad, giving you direct professional experience in a cyber security or related technology environment and an international perspective on the global challenge of cyber threat.

Graduates go on to careers in cyber security analysis, penetration testing, digital forensics, incident response, threat intelligence, law enforcement, national security, consultancy, and the technology industry more broadly. The UK government and private sector alike have identified cyber security skills as a critical national need, and graduates with both security and forensic capabilities are in consistent demand. Postgraduate study in cyber security, forensic computing, or information security is also an option.