Foundations of Cybersecurity

This unit introduces core cybersecurity concepts, common attack types, and typical vulnerabilities across people, devices, networks, and physical spaces. Students will learn foundational defensive practices—authentication, backups, resets, incident detection and response—and examine professional roles and the impact of emerging technologies such as IoT, machine learning, and generative AI.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze common cyberattack types (including overt, covert, and advanced techniques) and categorize them by method, motive, and potential impact on individuals and organizations
• Evaluate personal and organizational vulnerabilities (physical security, network configuration, device hygiene, human factors) and recommend prioritized mitigation strategies
• Apply foundational security practices to protect accounts and data, including strong authentication, password management, secure mobile/IoT use, and backup, reset, and restore procedures
• Demonstrate basic incident-response steps and professional responsibilities by outlining detection indicators, escalation procedures, role-based tasks, and the implications of emerging technologies on security