Course Details

This course is appropriate for a wide range of professionals but not limited to:

• Beginners in Cybersecurity
• IT Professionals
• Business and Organization Leaders
• Aspiring Security Analysts
• Students and Career Changers

• Expert-led sessions with dynamic visual aids
• Comprehensive course manual to support practical application and reinforcement
• Interactive discussions addressing participants’ real-world projects and challenges
• Insightful case studies and proven best practices to enhance learning

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand the key concepts of cybersecurity, including the CIA triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) and the different types of cyber threats.
• Identify and describe the various types of cyberattacks, including malware, phishing, and DoS/DDoS attacks.
• Understand basic networking concepts and apply network security techniques, such as firewalls, VPNs, and IDS/IPS.
• Understand cryptographic principles and methods for encrypting and securing data.
• Recognize the phases of a cyber attack and understand the role of threat detection systems, such as SIEM.
• Implement incident response strategies to handle security breaches effectively.
• Identify best practices for securing cloud environments, IoT devices, and applications.
• Explore emerging trends in cybersecurity, including AI, machine learning, and future challenges in the field.

DAY 1

Introduction to Cybersecurity and Basic Concepts

• Pre-test
• Understanding Cybersecurity

• What is cybersecurity?
• Importance of cybersecurity in the modern world
• Key principles of cybersecurity: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA Triad)
• Types of cybersecurity threats (malware, phishing, DDoS, etc.)
• Real-world examples of cyberattacks and their impact

• Key Terminologies and Cybersecurity Frameworks

• Common cybersecurity terminology (e.g., vulnerabilities, exploits, attacks, etc.)
• Introduction to cybersecurity frameworks and standards (NIST, ISO 27001, etc.)
• Cybersecurity roles and responsibilities (CISO, Security Analyst, etc.)

• Types of Cyberattacks

• Malware: Viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, etc.
• Phishing and social engineering attacks
• Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks
• Insider threats and their risks

• Case Study and Discussion

• Review of a major cyberattack case study (e.g., WannaCry ransomware attack)
• Group discussion on how these attacks could have been prevented

DAY 2

Network Security

• Introduction to Networking and Network Security

• Basic networking concepts (IP addresses, DNS, routers, firewalls, etc.)
• Importance of securing networks
• Types of networks: Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Virtual Private Network (VPN)

• Network Security Devices and Tools

• Firewalls: Types (hardware, software) and configurations
• Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
• Network segmentation and its importance in security
• Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and secure tunneling protocols

• Securing Network Communication

• Encryption protocols (SSL/TLS, HTTPS, etc.)
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and certificates
• Network security best practices

• Practical Hands-on Lab

• Setting up a basic firewall on a virtual machine
• Using Wireshark to monitor network traffic
• Introduction to VPN setup

DAY 3

Cryptography and Data Protection

• Introduction to Cryptography

• What is cryptography and why is it important?
• Basic concepts: Symmetric vs Asymmetric encryption
• Common cryptographic algorithms (AES, RSA, SHA-256, etc.)

• Key Management and Digital Signatures

• Importance of secure key management
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
• Digital signatures and their role in ensuring integrity and authenticity

• Data Protection Strategies

• Data at rest vs data in transit
• Encryption methods to protect sensitive data
• Data masking, tokenization, and hashing

• Practical Hands-on Lab

• Encrypting and decrypting data using open-source tools
• Generating and managing digital certificates
• Using hashing algorithms to ensure data integrity

DAY 4

Threat Detection and Response

• Cyber Threats and Attack Lifecycle

• The Cyber Kill Chain: Phases of an attack
• Techniques used by attackers (reconnaissance, exploitation, installation, etc.)
• Identifying and understanding threat intelligence

• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

• Overview of SIEM systems and their role in cybersecurity
• Common SIEM tools and technologies (Splunk, ELK Stack, etc.)
• Collecting and analyzing logs for anomaly detection

• Incident Response and Handling

• Phases of incident response: Preparation, Detection, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, Lessons Learned
• Key roles in an incident response team
• Creating an incident response plan

• Practical Hands-on Lab

• Using a SIEM tool to detect network anomalies
• Building a simple incident response plan
• Simulating a security incident and responding to it

DAY 5

Security Best Practices and Future Trends

• Best Practices in Cybersecurity

• Secure coding practices and application security
• Password management: Strong passwords, multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Patching and vulnerability management
• Regular security audits and penetration testing

• Securing the Cloud and IoT

• Cloud security principles (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• IoT security challenges and considerations
• Best practices for securing cloud and IoT environments

• Future of Cybersecurity

• Emerging threats: AI and machine learning in cybersecurity, deepfakes
• The role of automation and orchestration in cybersecurity
• Cybersecurity career opportunities and growth areas

• Final Review and Certification Preparation

• Recap of key concepts covered in the course
• Discussion of resources for further learning (websites, books, certifications)
• Q&A session and course feedback

• Capstone Project or Quiz

• Option for a capstone project where students assess a hypothetical organization’s cybersecurity posture and make recommendations
• Alternatively, a final quiz covering the topics taught

• Post-test