Cyber Security Foundations: Why Cyber Security is Important

Gain an introduction to cyber security

This 3-week course for beginners will highlight the importance of cyber security in the current landscape. It will be particularly useful for IT professionals.

Cyber attacks cost a huge amount of money annually, and this figure is on the rise. According to sources, the cost of cybercrime for 2021 will rise to $6 trillion, double the estimated figure for 2015. By 2025, this is predicted to rise to $10.5 trillion.

On this course, you’ll learn about common types of cyber attacks, including phishing, viruses, and social engineering attacks, and how you can protect against them. You’ll also learn how to build a safe password policy, build in ransomware protection, and best practices for mobile data security.

Explore common cyber attacks and how to protect against them

To understand why cyber security is important, we must understand the risks we face.

This cyber security training course will introduce you to some common and dangerous cyber attacks, and key topics such as:

• how to build a good password policy and how using a password manager increases data security
• risks associated with using unknown USB drives, including USB “rubber ducky” password stealers
• how to defend against viruses, including ransomware protection, and what to do when infected
• cyber security risks associated with social media, including social engineering attacks
• how to identify spear phishing and phishing emails
• best practices for mobile data security, including VPNs and DNS redirects
• disaster recovery and how to prepare for worst-case scenarios

Completing this introduction to cyber security will enable you to take the first key steps to protecting your data. With these cyber security basics, you can prevent sensitive information getting into the wrong hands.

This cyber security training is aimed at beginners to cyber security and IT professionals who want to understand how to protect their organization from cyber attacks.

This might include data administrators, those working with sensitive data, or those targeting a career in cyber security.

• What Are the First Steps in Protecting My Data?
• Learning Together on FutureLearn
• Welcome to the Course
• Physical Security: Part 1
• Physical Security: Part 2
• Best Practices: Passwords
• Best Practices: Updates
• How to Address Suspicious Internet Activity
• Welcome to Week 2
• How Vulnerable are Our Social Media Accounts?
• Internet Security: Part 1
• Internet Security: Part 2
• Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
• How to Secure Myself, My Data and My Company
• The Final Week Ahead
• Securing Email Communication
• Securing Mobile Devices
• Securing the Cloud
• Securing Network Connections
• Summary