Cybersecurity Course

Lesson 1 • Core Security Concepts and Terminology

Introduces the CIA triad, authentication, authorisation, and non-repudiation. Provides the vocabulary needed for all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 2 • Roles and Responsibilities in Security

Defines security team roles, governance structures, and stakeholder accountability. Clarifies how individual roles contribute to overall defence.

Lesson 3 • The Cybersecurity Threat Landscape

Maps current attacker categories, motivations, and common attack vectors. Contextualises why security controls are necessary.

Lesson 1 • Traffic Analysis and Packet Inspection

Teaches packet capture, protocol dissection, and anomaly identification using analysis tools. Develops hands-on skills for network forensics.

Lesson 2 • Firewalls, IDS, and IPS

Explains stateful and next-generation firewall operation, intrusion detection, and prevention systems. Ties each control to specific threat scenarios.

Lesson 3 • Network Architecture Fundamentals

Covers OSI and TCP/IP models, subnetting, and segmentation design. Establishes the structural knowledge required for protocol analysis.

Lesson 4 • Core Protocol Vulnerabilities

Examines weaknesses in DNS, ARP, HTTP, and routing protocols. Connects protocol flaws to real-world attack techniques.

Lesson 1 • Cryptographic Fundamentals

Introduces symmetric, asymmetric, and hashing algorithms with their mathematical basis. Establishes the foundation for applied cryptography topics.

Lesson 2 • Public Key Infrastructure

Explains certificate authorities, certificate lifecycle, and trust chains. Connects PKI to secure communications and identity verification.

Lesson 3 • Key Management and Lifecycle

Addresses key generation, storage, rotation, and destruction best practices. Ensures students can maintain cryptographic integrity over time.

Lesson 4 • Cryptographic Attacks and Weaknesses

Analyses brute-force, side-channel, and protocol downgrade attacks. Prepares students to identify and mitigate cryptographic vulnerabilities.

Lesson 1 • Authentication Mechanisms

Covers password policies, multi-factor authentication, and passwordless methods. Establishes the first line of defence in identity security.

Lesson 2 • Access Control Models

Explains DAC, MAC, RBAC, and ABAC models with practical use cases. Connects model selection to organisational security requirements.

Lesson 3 • Federated Identity and SSO

Covers SAML, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect for cross-domain identity. Enables students to implement secure single sign-on architectures.

Lesson 4 • Privileged Access Management

Addresses just-in-time access, privileged account vaulting, and session recording. Reduces risk from high-privilege credential compromise.

Lesson 1 • Vulnerability Scanning and Analysis

Teaches automated scanning, manual verification, and false-positive triage. Connects scan results to prioritised remediation planning.

Lesson 2 • Exploitation Techniques

Covers common exploitation frameworks, payload delivery, and privilege escalation. Develops practical skills for authorised attack simulation.

Lesson 3 • Penetration Testing Methodology

Defines scoping, rules of engagement, and structured testing phases. Establishes the ethical and procedural framework for all offensive activities.

Lesson 4 • Web Application Attacks

Examines injection, broken authentication, and SSRF vulnerabilities in web apps. Prepares students to test and secure web-facing applications.

Lesson 5 • Post-Exploitation and Reporting

Covers data exfiltration simulation, cleanup, and professional report writing. Ensures findings are communicated clearly to technical and executive audiences.

Lesson 1 • Endpoint Detection and Response

Explains EDR agent deployment, behavioural detection, and threat hunting on endpoints. Extends defence beyond signature-based antivirus.

Lesson 2 • Security Configuration Management

Teaches configuration drift detection, compliance scanning, and remediation automation. Maintains consistent security posture across large environments.

Lesson 3 • Patch and Vulnerability Management

Addresses patch prioritisation, testing pipelines, and remediation tracking. Connects timely patching to measurable risk reduction.

Lesson 4 • Email and Web Security Controls

Covers anti-phishing gateways, URL filtering, and email authentication protocols. Addresses the most common initial access vectors.

Lesson 1 • Incident Communication and Escalation

Addresses stakeholder notification, escalation thresholds, and regulatory reporting obligations. Ensures timely and accurate communication during incidents.

Lesson 2 • Log Management and SIEM

Covers log source onboarding, normalisation, and correlation rule creation. Establishes centralised visibility as the foundation for detection.

Lesson 3 • Threat Detection and Alerting

Applies behavioural analytics, threat intelligence feeds, and detection engineering. Translates threat knowledge into actionable detection logic.

Lesson 4 • Incident Response Lifecycle

Defines preparation, identification, containment, eradication, and recovery phases. Provides a repeatable process for managing security incidents.

Lesson 1 • Compliance and Regulatory Alignment

Maps security controls to data protection, financial, and critical infrastructure requirements. Enables organisations to demonstrate compliance without duplicating effort.

Lesson 2 • Security Metrics and Reporting

Teaches KPI selection, dashboard design, and trend analysis for security programmes. Translates technical data into business-relevant performance indicators.

Lesson 3 • Business Continuity and Resilience

Covers BCP, DRP, and resilience testing to maintain operations under adverse conditions. Aligns security strategy with organisational continuity objectives.

Lesson 4 • Security Programme Governance

Defines policy hierarchy, security committee structures, and board-level reporting. Connects security operations to organisational governance.