The Internet Commerce Security Lab (ICSL) has been providing post-graduate computer security training for over ten years. Federation University uses the Research Training Scheme (RTS) to waive fees for Australian citizens and permanent residents (no HECS fees). PhD and Masters courses can be undertaken as full-time or part-time studies for local or remote students.

Short courses

The ICSL offers the following short courses, free of charge for community and not-for-profit organisations:

• Reverse Engineering Malware
• Cyber abuse
• The people of cybercrime

Master of Computing

The Master of Computing by research is a good fit for people with significant industry experience. The research topic can be selected to be relevant to your employment. Flexible study conditions include local or remote learning and full-time or part-time mode of study. The qualification for entry to the Master of Computing are a degree in a relevant area, recognition of prior learning provides an alternate mode of entry. The expected course duration is 18 months full-time or 3 years part-time.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a good fit for people with significant industry experience and who wish to develop their skills as researchers. The research topic can be selected to be relevant to your employment. Flexible study conditions include local or remote learning and full-time or part-time mode of study. The qualification for entry to the PhD is a masters degree by research, a short bridging course can be provided for applicants with a Masters by coursework. The expected course duration is 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time.

The ICSL offers PhD and master's courses in a broad range of subject areas with a focus on machine learning methods:

• Reverse engineering of malware
• Incident response
• Threat intelligence
• Phishing detection
• Cyber-physical security
• Health systems security
• Blockchain
• Fraud detection

Application

Initial enquiries regarding the master's or PhD can be emailed to Iqbal Gondal.

Apply to Federation University to enrol in a higher degree by research.

Alumni testimonials

Ahmad Azab - PhD
"My three and a half years PhD journey at ICSL has been a great experience, at both academic and personal levels. The lab's members and PhD peers in this fabulous community were approachable and very helpful. The guidance I received from my supervisors has helped me to become an independent researcher and lecturer. The partnership with high-profile industrial sectors has granted the opportunity to gain more understanding of the current security challenges and solutions as well as collaborating with well-reputed researchers."

Mamoun Alazab - PhD
"The ICSL provided a great opportunity to engage with important industrial and financial organizations, like IBM and Westpac Bank. Another important opportunity was working with AFP to develop cyber investigation tools. The ICSL helped me to develop the academic and professional skills needed for the cybersecurity word."

Paul Black - Master of Computing
"I came to the ICSL with a lot of industry experience and a desire to deepen my skills. I did a part time master's course by remote learning. This has been the best academic experience of my life. I learned how to reverse engineer malware, which apart from being great fun, lead to significant new career opportunities. I followed up my master's with a PhD at the ICSL which is now nearly complete. I would fully recommend an ICSL master's or PhD to anyone seeking to become a malware analysis researcher.

Ansam Khraisat - PhD
"Completing my PhD with the ICSL has provided me with valuable industry experience that can be applied directly to my future career path. ICSL has a unique academic program, it is rare to see an educational institute providing both industry and academic experiences. ICSL is great place for female students as it has provided networking opportunities and mentorship to advance my career in cybersecurity. I would encourage girls and women to pursue their studies in cybersecurity with the ICSL at Federation University as it provides a holistic experience in research and practice.”

Robert Layton - PhD
"The ICSL provided a place for me to grow and pursue my interests in machine learning, cybersecurity and software development. Through the ICSL I was provided with extensive training on a wide range of topics, allowing me to develop high-level skills in these areas. I was also afforded excellent network opportunities through all levels of government, academia and industry - it is rare to get an  institution that deals with such a breadth of sectors to such a degree. My time at the ICSL has been a key milestone in my life and career and I strongly recommend it to anyone considering further study in cybersecurity."

Omaru Maruatona - PhD
"With my software engineering background, the ICSL gave me the opportunity to apply my software development skills in machine learning and cyber security. At ICSL, my main project involved researching, codifying and testing machine learning approaches to detect internet banking fraud. Through the 'work-packets', small 3-5 weeks projects from our research partners, I've also been involved in several other exciting projects such as; developing an approach for estimating the cost of a data breach; and developing a data obfuscation tool and a forensic memory extraction tool. At the time, these were cutting edge ideas and the ICSL was the place to be."

Oana Ureche - PhD
"As a PhD graduate at ICSL, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at the lab, where I made lifelong friends and met some of the smartest people around. Having a PhD has definitely created more career opportunities, not only as a researcher but also in the IT industry. I'm grateful for my time spent at ICSL."

Dan Xu - Master of Computing
"I studied at ICSL while I was working full-time. ICSL is a great example of bridging industry and academic together, and enabled me to leverage research resources to investigate real-life problems in the industry. Part-time study is not always easy. I really appreciated the support from my supervisors and other researchers in ICSL, which assisted me to completed my Master by Research degree. It comes with my highest recommendation!"