Cybersecurity

Build practical security judgement across identity, web risk, detection, and response using plain language, realistic scenarios, and defensible evidence.

This course is written for people who need to understand security decisions without being buried in jargon or vendor theatre. By the end, you should be able to explain what matters, where the exposure sits, and what to do about it.

28 hours4 stages, 25 modulesBeginners welcomeFree, no account
Start with Module 1
Code on a screen - photo by Sai Kiran Anagani on Unsplash

What you will learn

  • Explain core cybersecurity concepts including the CIA triad, risk and controls in plain language
  • Apply structured threat modelling to simple systems and identify assets, actors and entry points
  • Use interactive tools to assess passwords, URLs, hashes and risk matrices
  • Relate enterprise security decisions to frameworks such as NIST CSF 2.0 and Cyber Essentials
  • Design high-level secure architectures for web and cloud-based systems
  • Communicate security risks and mitigations to non-technical stakeholders

Who this course is for

  • Non-technical professionals wanting to understand cybersecurity
  • Students studying computing, IT or business
  • Small business owners responsible for their own security
  • Developers who need security awareness
  • Teams preparing for the current Cyber Essentials question set or similar certifications

Prerequisites: None. Course starts from absolute basics with everyday examples.

Course curriculum

Read the modules in order on the first pass. Use the practice and stage tests when you want a stricter check on what stuck.

1

Stage 1. Foundations

9 modules · 8 hours

1What cybersecurity is and is not30 min2Risk and outcomes30 min3Data and integrity30 min4Networks and transport30 min5CIA triad and simple attacks30 min6Identity and access30 min7Human factors and phishing30 min8Privacy and everyday data protection25 min9Foundations capstone25 minPracticePractice testUntimedStage testStage test30 min
2

Stage 2. Applied cybersecurity

7 modules · 8 hours

10Threat modelling as design30 min11Identity and access control30 min12Web application security30 min13API and service security28 min14Verification and release gates25 min15Logging and detection basics25 min16Applied capstone35 minPracticePractice testUntimedStage testStage test30 min
3

Stage 3. Practice and strategy

9 modules · 11 hours

17Secure software development lifecycle45 min18Exposure reduction and zero trust50 min19Runtime and cloud security50 min20Supply chain security30 min21Vulnerability management28 min22Detection and incident response32 min23Privacy, ethics, and auditability30 min24System quality attributes26 min25Professional practice capstone40 minPracticePractice testUntimedStage testStage test20 min
4

Cybersecurity summary and games

1 hour

A recap and practice space to consolidate judgement with scenarios and short drills.

Standards and references

This course is aligned to the following standards, frameworks, and certification objectives.

  1. 1NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 (2024)
  2. 2OWASP Top 10 (2025)
  3. 3OWASP ASVS 5.0.0
  4. 4ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information security management systems
  5. 5CIS Controls v8.1
  6. 6MITRE ATT&CK v18.1
  7. 7IASME Cyber Essentials current question-set preview
  8. 8CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)