The School has a fully functional air-gapped Cyber Security Lab which houses specialised hardware/software dedicated to the teaching of security related modules.
The lab is equipped with Cisco CCNA/P level equipment and security appliances and allows for the implementation and maintenance of complex and secure networked systems and applications. The sandboxed nature of the lab allows for safe defensive and offensive exploration of network security, penetration testing, malware analysis, incident response, cryptography, and digital forensics.
In the Cyber Security Lab, you will have access to a CCNA/P equivalent of equipment, ie 3 network switches and 3 network routers called a “Pod”. Two pods are housed in a 14U rack under a desk between two students. Each rack provides 12 patch ports for a mix of Ethernet connectivity and console connectors per pod, of which, 6 are used to connect to local devices and consoles and the other 6 are patched on to two centralised main racks. This will give you hands-on access to CISCO hardware.
These main racks contain a subset of network security equipment, where Firewall, router, Net Taps and Wireless Access Points can be shared. The second rack holds a switch with a fibre connection. This is wired back to the University firewall (bypassing the ability to scan any internal services) with access to the general Internet to allow controlled access to Penetration tools that require internet access to work. This is limited to specific MAC addresses so only one VM is allowed access out while still maintaining security of the main RGU network.