Cyber Security introduction Course

Lesson 1 • Security Roles and Responsibilities

Maps common cybersecurity job functions and organisational structures. Helps students understand where they fit within a security team.

Lesson 2 • The CIA Triad Explained

Covers confidentiality, integrity, and availability as the three pillars of security. Provides the evaluative framework used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • What Is Cybersecurity

Defines cybersecurity scope, goals, and its role in protecting digital assets. Anchors all subsequent topics by establishing shared terminology.

Lesson 4 • Understanding the Threat Landscape

Surveys current threat categories including malware, phishing, and insider threats. Gives students context for why specific defences are necessary.

Lesson 1 • Common Network Protocols and Risks

Examines HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and other protocols for inherent security weaknesses. Prepares students to recognise protocol-level attack opportunities.

Lesson 2 • Network Traffic Analysis Basics

Introduces packet capture concepts and traffic baseline interpretation. Connects network knowledge to practical threat detection skills.

Lesson 3 • IP Addressing and Subnetting

Covers IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, subnets, and CIDR notation. Enables students to map network topology and identify segmentation gaps.

Lesson 4 • How Networks Communicate

Explains packets, protocols, and the OSI model layers. Establishes the technical baseline for analysing network-based threats.

Lesson 1 • Operating System Architecture Overview

Covers kernel, user space, processes, and file systems from a security perspective. Provides the structural context needed to understand OS-level attacks.

Lesson 2 • Windows Security Features

Reviews Windows Defender, UAC, BitLocker, and audit policies. Equips students to configure built-in controls for endpoint protection.

Lesson 3 • OS Hardening Techniques

Applies patch management, service minimisation, and configuration baselines to reduce attack surface. Bridges OS knowledge to practical defensive action.

Lesson 4 • Linux Security Features

Covers file permissions, SELinux, AppArmor, and system logging in Linux. Prepares students to secure Linux servers common in enterprise environments.

Lesson 1 • Symmetric Encryption Algorithms

Examines AES, DES, and 3DES including key lengths and use cases. Enables students to choose appropriate symmetric ciphers for data at rest.

Lesson 2 • Hashing and Data Integrity

Explains SHA family, MD5 weaknesses, and HMAC for message authentication. Prepares students to verify data integrity in transit and at rest.

Lesson 3 • Asymmetric Encryption and PKI

Covers RSA, elliptic curve cryptography, and public key infrastructure. Connects asymmetric concepts to certificate-based authentication used in TLS.

Lesson 4 • Cryptography Core Concepts

Introduces plaintext, ciphertext, keys, and algorithm types. Establishes the vocabulary needed to evaluate cryptographic solutions.

Lesson 1 • Authentication Fundamentals

Covers password-based, token-based, and biometric authentication factors. Establishes the foundation for evaluating authentication strength.

Lesson 2 • Identity Lifecycle Management

Covers provisioning, de-provisioning, and access reviews across the user lifecycle. Prevents orphaned accounts and privilege creep in enterprise environments.

Lesson 3 • Multi-Factor Authentication

Explains MFA types, implementation patterns, and bypass attack risks. Directly addresses one of the most effective controls against credential theft.

Lesson 4 • Single Sign-On and Federation

Explains SSO, SAML, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect for federated identity. Prepares students to evaluate identity federation risks and benefits.

Lesson 1 • Web Application Attack Vectors

Analyses SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, and IDOR vulnerabilities in web apps. Prepares students to recognise and remediate the most prevalent application flaws.

Lesson 2 • Social Engineering Attacks

Examines phishing, spear-phishing, vishing, and pretexting with real examples. Connects human vulnerability to technical control gaps.

Lesson 3 • Malware Types and Behaviour

Classifies viruses, worms, ransomware, spyware, and rootkits by behaviour. Enables students to identify malware indicators and select appropriate responses.

Lesson 4 • Network-Based Attacks

Covers man-in-the-middle, denial-of-service, and ARP spoofing attacks. Ties network fundamentals from Chapter 2 to active exploitation scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Security Information and Event Management

Explains SIEM architecture, log ingestion, correlation rules, and alerting. Provides the monitoring foundation required for effective incident detection.

Lesson 2 • Incident Response Lifecycle

Walks through preparation, identification, containment, eradication, and recovery phases. Gives students a repeatable framework for managing security incidents.

Lesson 3 • Threat Detection Techniques

Covers signature-based, anomaly-based, and behavioural detection methods. Enables students to tune detection systems to reduce false positives.

Lesson 4 • Post-Incident Activities

Covers lessons-learned reviews, root cause analysis, and reporting to stakeholders. Closes the incident response loop and drives continuous security improvement.

Lesson 1 • Risk Management Process

Applies risk identification, analysis, evaluation, and treatment steps systematically. Builds on Chapter 1 risk concepts with a structured management methodology.

Lesson 2 • Regulatory and Compliance Requirements

Covers data protection regulations, payment security standards, and healthcare privacy rules by function. Helps students map controls to compliance obligations.

Lesson 3 • Security Governance Frameworks

Surveys NIST CSF, ISO 27001, and CIS Controls as governance structures. Enables students to select and adapt frameworks to organisational needs.

Lesson 4 • Security Audits and Assessments

Describes internal audits, third-party assessments, and penetration test scoping. Connects governance knowledge to measurable security assurance activities.