Cybersecurity Fundamentals
This beginning-level course is ideal for anyone looking to jumpstart their new career in IT or a cybersecurity-related IT role or those who need the vocabulary to intelligently converse about related topics with their IT colleagues.
4.8 (18 Reviews)

Language
- English
Topic
- Computer Science & Information Technology
Industries
- Information Technology
Enrollment Count
- 115
Skills You Will Learn
- CyberSecurity, Cryptography, Cyberattacks, Information Security, Application Security
Offered By
- IBMSkillsNetwork
Estimated Effort
- 12 hours
Platform
- SkillsNetwork
Last Update
- April 23, 2025
Course Syllabus
- Course Introduction
- Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
- Security and Information Privacy
- Activity: Exploring Information Privacy
- Threats and Breaches
- Hands-on Lab: Windows Update
- Threat Types
- Phishing, Social Engineering, and Other Attacks
- Activity: Identifying an Attack
- Case Study
- Activity: Identifying Malware Threats
- Hands-on Lab: Windows Defender Antivirus
- Password Management Techniques
- Authentication and SSO
- Hands-on Lab: Enforce Strong Password Policies
- Security Threats: Access Control, Authorization, and Authentication
- Hardening Devices
- Firewalls
- Hands-on Lab: Windows Defender Firewall
- Security Threats: Validation and Device Usage
- Security Threats: Encryption Concepts
- Managing Email and Spam
- Activity: Identifying Phishing Attempts
- Application Ecosystem Security
- Public Browsing Risks
- Practices Plug-ins, Extensions, and Toolbars
- Security Threats Safe Browsing Techniques
- Hands-on Lab: Managing Browser Security and Privacy Settings
- Virtual Private Networks
What You'll Learn
- Recognize data security, data integrity maintenance, and confidentiality protection needs
- Identify key cybersecurity tools and functions including firewalls, anti-viral protection, cryptography, penetration testing, and digital forensics
- Identify best practices for authentication, encryption, and device security
- Compare and contrast types of security threats, breaches, malware, social engineering, and attack vectors
Recommended Skills Before Taking this Course

Language
- English
Topic
- Computer Science & Information Technology
Industries
- Information Technology
Enrollment Count
- 115
Skills You Will Learn
- CyberSecurity, Cryptography, Cyberattacks, Information Security, Application Security
Offered By
- IBMSkillsNetwork
Estimated Effort
- 12 hours
Platform
- SkillsNetwork
Last Update
- April 23, 2025
Instructors
Rav Ahuja
Global Program Director, IBM Skills Network
Rav Ahuja is a Global Program Director at IBM. He leads growth strategy, curriculum creation, and partner programs for the IBM Skills Network. Rav co-founded Cognitive Class, an IBM led initiative to democratize skills for in demand technologies. He is based out of the IBM Canada Lab in Toronto and specializes in instructional solutions for AI, Data, Software Engineering and Cloud. Rav presents at events worldwide and has authored numerous papers, articles, books and courses on subjects in managing and analyzing data. Rav holds B. Eng. from McGill University and MBA from University of Western Ontario.
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