Cybersecurity Fundamentals

Title: Cybersecurity Fundamentals

Author for citation: Jonathan S. Weissman

License for content: Unknown

Publication date: 2023

This is a Rochester Institute of Technology-created course that is released on the edX platform. The introductory eight-week course is designed to help learners "learn cybersecurity fundamentals, including how to detect threats, protect systems and networks, and anticipate potential cyber attacks." The course is free to take and requires 10 to 12 hours of focus per week. A verified certificate of completion from RIT is available afterwards for $399 USD.

The edX course description:

"In this introduction to the field of computing security, you will be given an extensive overview of the various branches of computing security. You will learn cybersecurity concepts, issues, and tools that are critical in solving problems in the computing security domain.

You will have opportunities to learn essential techniques in protecting systems and network infrastructures, analyzing and monitoring potential threats and attacks, devising and implementing security solutions for organizations large or small.

This offering is part of the RITx Cybersecurity MicroMasters Program that prepares students to enter and advance in the field of computing security."

What you'll learn:

• Network and system administration fundamentals
• Information assurance fundamentals such as confidentiality, integrity and availability, etc.
• Basic cryptography concepts"

About the authors

The course is taught by Jonathan S. Weissman, senior lecturer in the Department of Computing Security at Rochester Institute of Technology. "He developed three courses for the edX RITx Cybersecurity MicroMasters program, which he currently teaches to more than 200,000 students in over 200 countries. As a result of his work on CYBER501x Cybersecurity Fundamentals, he was a finalist for the 2018 edX Prize for Exceptional Contributions in Online Teaching and Learning."

General layout and contents of the course

The introductory unit opens with basic concepts and what the course is about. The next two units cover security concepts and challenges for the computing fields, followed by chapters on cryptography, networking, and systems administration. Units seven and eight cover detection and prevention, as well as the forensics of malware, before ending with concluding remarks.

The course

: The course can be found on the edX site, under the Computer Science category. A session will start March 21 and end May 16. The free audit track also ends on May 16.