Course Overview
This course is an introduction to cybersecurity, with an emphasis on the fundamental skills needed to design and maintain secure systems. Topics will include access control, logging and monitoring, and hardening systems. The course will also cover the foundations of network communication, and students will be taught the basic scripting skills required to automate key cybersecurity tasks. Through lectures and hands-on labs in a Linux environment, student will learn the foundational skills required to move on to advanced courses in Network Security and Administration.
Prerequisite(s)
- Admission to a Forensic credential program or permission of the Program Coordinator.
Credits
3.0
Registration requirements
Departmental approval is required to register for this course. You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Domestic fees
$921.53
International fees are typically 3.4 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Select appropriate file permissions to protect data on Linux systems.
- Write scripts to extract security information and automate tasks to monitor network activities.
- Outline how to harden a system by reducing the surface of vulnerability.
- Enable logs and find basic security issues through log monitoring.
- Analyze the information in email headers to detect and identify forged emails.
- Set up Linux iptables firewall.
- Describe how data moves across networks.
- Audit Bash/Python scripts for automating log analysis using LLMs (e.g., ChatGPT).
Effective as of Spring/Summer 2025
Related Programs
Cybersecurity Foundations (FSCT 7511) is offered as a part of the following programs:
- Indicates programs accepting international students.
- Indicates programs eligible for students to apply for Post-graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
School of Computing and Academic Studies
- Forensic Investigation (Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity Option)
Advanced Certificate Part-time
- Forensic Investigation (Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity Option)
Bachelor of Technology Full-time/Part-time
Course Offerings
Fall 2026
Below is one offering of FSCT 7511 for the Fall 2026 term.
CRN 44226
Dates
Sep 08 - Dec 01 Loading
- CRN 44226
- $921.53 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 08 - Dec 01 | Tue | 18:00 - 21:30 | Burnaby SE12 Rm. 318 |
Duration
13 weeks
Instructor
Bogdan Pirvoaica
Course outline
Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.
Important information
- Important course information will be sent to you prior to your course start date. Check your myBCIT email account to access this information.
- Students who have been accepted into a Forensics program where this course is a part of the matrix may register without any further approvals. Students who are not currently accepted in a Forensics program or, if this course is NOT part of your program matrix, please contact the Program Assistants for departmental approval at BCIT_Forensics@bcit.ca. NOTE: This is a BYOD (bring your own device) class. Please bring a laptop that meets or exceeds the following requirements: • 4 CPU cores • 8 GB of RAM (require at least 3 GB available to be assigned to a virtual machine) • 100 GB of free disk space • the laptop needs to be configured to run virtualization.
Confirmation
Required
To proceed with registration and add this course to the cart, please confirm:
No approval yet? Request approval You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Status
If you have any questions about this course, please contact us.
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.