Updated in May 2025.

This course now features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. In this comprehensive course, you will gain essential knowledge and practical skills in cybersecurity operations and analysis. You'll understand the importance of security practices, tools, and frameworks like the CIA Triad, risk management, and access control models, providing you with a solid foundation in protecting networks and systems. As you advance, you'll be introduced to critical concepts such as threat actors, data visibility challenges, and how to differentiate between key security concepts like vulnerabilities and risks. The course progresses with a focus on cybersecurity analysis. You'll explore how to identify critical data types and investigate network and web application attacks. Understanding the role of technologies like tcpdump, NetFlow, and firewalls in security monitoring will equip you with the tools needed to track potential threats. You'll also delve into social engineering, evasion techniques, and certificate components, all crucial in analyzing and defending against modern cyber threats. The modules in this section will help you distinguish between common types of attacks and their potential impact on your organization. As the course continues, you'll shift towards more advanced intrusion analysis techniques. You'll learn how to categorize intrusion events using models like the cyber kill chain, understand the difference between firewall operations, and analyze traffic through methods like deep packet inspection and Wireshark. You'll also gain hands-on experience in extracting files from TCP streams and interpreting the artifacts involved in a cybersecurity event. These skills are essential for understanding the technical side of cybersecurity, helping you identify and mitigate advanced threats. This course is ideal for aspiring cybersecurity analysts and professionals looking to deepen their understanding of security operations and analysis. No prior experience is required, though familiarity with basic network concepts is beneficial. The content is structured for individuals aiming to work in Security Operations Centers (SOCs), providing a clear pathway to developing expertise in cybersecurity defense, forensic analysis, and advanced intrusion detection techniques. By the end, you'll be prepared to apply various security approaches and methods to ensure the safety of digital infrastructures.