Cybersecurity Foundations and Supply Chains

This unit introduces the modern cyber threat landscape, root causes of insecurity, common attack types, and the expanding role of digital supply chains and AI. Students will build a conceptual foundation of threats (social engineering, malware, DDoS, insider risk), infrastructure (cloud, IoT, IT/OT convergence), and supply chain vulnerabilities to prepare for hands-on defense and risk-management units that follow.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the primary drivers behind the recent increase in cyberattacks and summarize real-world breach case studies to identify lessons learned
• Evaluate root causes and systemic vulnerabilities in the digital ecosystem, including software supply chains, cloud services, IoT/mobility, and IT/OT convergence
• Demonstrate the ability to recognize and classify attack types and indicators—social engineering, phishing, ransomware, botnets, DDoS, and insider threats—using scenario-based examples
• Apply supply chain risk concepts and assess the impacts and opportunities of generative AI on supply chain security and optimization for business scalability