Master'sElectronics, Embedded Systems & Telecom Applications open

Master’s in Firmware Security

Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in firmware security (TrustZone/TPM, secure and measured boot, anti-rollback and secure OTA). 12 modules covering firmware threats, secure boot and root of trust, embedded cryptography, security hardware, secure updates, secure firmware development, secure communications, physical attacks, security testing, regulation and certification, and life-cycle security, applied to Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act), ETSI EN 303 645 and IEC 62443-4-2 with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration12–14 months

ModeOnline

LanguageEnglish

Start datesSet by the faculty

AwardSEIUM Institute diploma

Enrol now View syllabus Ask an advisor

Master’s in Firmware Security — studying from New Zealand

Electronics and telecommunications are significant New Zealand industries, with Chorus operating the national fibre network and Spark, One NZ and 2degrees providing mobile services. Embedded systems and electronics design are strong in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, serving agricultural technology, medical devices and industrial automation. Engineers in this field work for telecommunications providers, electronics manufacturers and research groups, and the Radio Spectrum Management team within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment oversees spectrum use.

Fees for New Zealand: NZ$19,700 (New Zealand dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.

Relevant bodies in New Zealand

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) New Zealand Section
Radio Spectrum Management (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)
Telecommunications Carriers' Forum

Typical roles

Embedded Systems Engineer
Telecommunications Engineer
Electronics Design Engineer
Firmware Engineer

Questions from New Zealand

How do New Zealand bodies recognise electronics and telecom engineers?

Engineering New Zealand is the body for engineering registration, including Chartered Professional Engineer status. Telecommunications is overseen by the Commerce Commission and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and radio spectrum is managed by MBIE. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by a national body, so employers decide their weight.

Which New Zealand employers hire embedded systems and telecom engineers?

Employers include telecommunications operators, electronics manufacturers, device makers, defence and aerospace suppliers, and research institutions. Hiring often prioritises practical embedded work, firmware projects and certifications relevant to the role. A private online qualification may help your application, but it does not guarantee an offer.

Is this manageable online from New Zealand, and what study load should I expect?

The programmes are online and in English, so no student visa is needed to study from New Zealand. Each has an assigned technical tutor and a final project. Specialist courses are 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and master's programmes 1,900. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible, so check funding options first.

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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

Model threats to embedded devices.

Implement secure boot and roots of trust.

Apply cryptography correctly in embedded systems.

Design secure update mechanisms.

Develop firmware using secure coding practices.

Assess resistance to physical and logical attacks.

Comply with European product cyber security regulations.

Profile

Who it's for

Firmware security engineers.
Product security engineers.
Embedded vulnerability analysts.
Automotive cyber security engineers.
IoT security architects.
Hardware security evaluators.
Engineering or science graduates looking to enter IoT.

Standards & tools

What you'll work with

Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act for products with digital elements)
ETSI EN 303 645 (cyber security for consumer IoT)
IEC 62443-4-2 (security requirements for industrial automation components)
ISO/SAE 21434 (road vehicles – cyber security engineering)
UNECE Regulation No. 155 (vehicle cyber security management system)
NIST SP 800-193 (platform firmware resiliency)
ISO/IEC 15408 (Common Criteria for IT security evaluation)
IETF RFC 9019 (SUIT firmware update architecture for IoT)
MCUboot
Ghidra
ChipWhisperer
mbedTLS
Trusted Firmware-M

Syllabus

12 modules

1.1Device attack surface
1.2Attacker models
1.3Remote and local attacks
1.4Physical attacks
1.5Supply chain attacks
1.6Public cases of firmware attacks
1.7Most common vulnerabilities
1.8Secure life cycle
1.9Manufacturer responsibility
1.10Case study: threat model of an IoT device

2.1Chain of trust
2.2Hardware root of trust
2.3Boot ROM
2.4Signature verification
2.5MCUboot and TF-M
2.6UEFI Secure Boot
2.7Measurement and measured boot
2.8Version anti-rollback
2.9Signing key management
2.10Lab: secure boot with MCUboot

3.1Symmetric cryptography: AES
3.2Asymmetric cryptography: ECC and RSA
3.3Hash functions: SHA-2 and SHA-3
3.4Digital signatures
3.5Random number generators
3.6Cryptographic accelerators
3.7mbedTLS and wolfSSL libraries
3.8Post-quantum cryptography
3.9Common implementation mistakes
3.10Practical exercise: image signing and verification

4.1Secure elements
4.2TPM 2.0
4.3Arm TrustZone
4.4Enclaves and isolation
4.5Secure key storage
4.6Flash readout protection
4.7Fuses and debug lock
4.8PUFs
4.9Hardware selection
4.10Lab: isolation with TrustZone-M

5.1Secure OTA architecture
5.2Package signing and encryption
5.3A/B partitions
5.4Failure recovery
5.5Uptane for automotive
5.6SUIT manifest
5.7Distribution and servers
5.8Staged rollout
5.9Vulnerability management
5.10Practical exercise: signed OTA update

6.1Secure coding in C
6.2Buffer overflows
6.3MISRA and CERT C
6.4Static analysis
6.5Firmware fuzzing
6.6Compiler protections
6.7MPU and task isolation
6.8Code reviews
6.9Memory-safe languages such as Rust
6.10Lab: fuzzing a parser with libFuzzer

7.1TLS and DTLS on devices
7.2Mutual authentication
7.3Identity provisioning
7.4Certificates and PKI
7.5BLE security
7.6Wi-Fi and Thread security
7.7MQTT security
7.8Secure industrial protocols
7.9Performance and power consumption
7.10Practical exercise: mutual TLS connection from a microcontroller

8.1Power analysis: SPA and DPA
8.2Fault injection attacks
8.3Clock and voltage glitching
8.4Electromagnetic attacks
8.5Firmware extraction
8.6Software countermeasures
8.7Hardware countermeasures
8.8Resistance evaluation
8.9Security evaluation laboratories
8.10Lab: power analysis demonstration with ChipWhisperer

9.1Firmware reverse engineering
9.2Ghidra and binary analysis
9.3File system extraction
9.4Emulation with QEMU
9.5Device penetration testing
9.6SBOM and component analysis
9.7CVE management
9.8Coordinated disclosure
9.9Test reports
9.10Practical exercise: firmware analysis with Ghidra

10.1Cyber Resilience Act
10.2ETSI EN 303 645
10.3IEC 62443-4-1 and 4-2
10.4ISO/SAE 21434
10.5UNECE Regulation No. 155
10.6PSA Certified
10.7Common Criteria
10.8European certification schemes
10.9Security documentation
10.10Case study: gap analysis against the CRA

11.1Secure factory provisioning
11.2Supply chain security
11.3Key management in production
11.4Field monitoring
11.5Incident response
11.6Patches and support
11.7Device end of life
11.8Data privacy
11.9Security metrics
11.10Workshop: vulnerability response plan

12.1Device and threats
12.2Security requirements
12.3Secure boot
12.4Key storage
12.5Secure updates
12.6Security testing
12.7Compliance assessment
12.8Life-cycle plan
12.9Master's Thesis report
12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel

Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

Training is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so it fits around your job.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is MCUboot, Ghidra, ChipWhisperer, mbedTLS and Trusted Firmware-M, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures for firmware fuzzing, device penetration testing and side-channel analysis in the lab. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.

Standards covered: Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act), ETSI EN 303 645, IEC 62443-4-2, ISO/SAE 21434, UNECE Regulation No. 155, NIST SP 800-193, ISO/IEC 15408 (Common Criteria), IETF RFC 9019 (SUIT).

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.

Standards-based learning:guided reading of Regulation (EU) 2024/2847, ETSI EN 303 645 and IEC 62443-4-2 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.

Industry software:MCUboot, Ghidra, ChipWhisperer, mbedTLS and Trusted Firmware-M, in free, academic or evaluation versions.

Master's Thesis with defence:Security architecture for a real device, from threat model and secure boot to key storage, secure updates, security testing and compliance assessment, defended before a panel.

Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.

Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Threat model

Build the threat model and security requirements of an IoT device.

Secure boot and keys

Implement secure boot with MCUboot and protected key storage.

Signed OTA updates

Deliver signed OTA updates with anti-rollback and recovery.

Security testing

Fuzz the firmware, analyse it with Ghidra and assess CRA compliance.

Master's Thesis

Complete security architecture for a device, tested and assessed for compliance, defended before a panel.

Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Firmware security engineerProduct security engineerEmbedded vulnerability analystAutomotive cyber security engineerIoT security architectHardware security evaluator

Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

University degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
Internet connection and a computer able to run the programme software.
English sufficient to read technical standards.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with MCUboot, Ghidra, ChipWhisperer, mbedTLS and Trusted Firmware-M, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.

A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.

Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

A degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the software, and English sufficient to read technical standards.

Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.

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