Cybersecurity for Everyone

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Cybersecurity for Everyone

This course is part of Cybersecurity in the AI Era Specialization

Instructor: Charles Harry

531,027 already enrolled

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6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

3,306 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

3,306 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

6 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Cybersecurity in the AI Era Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

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Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 6 modules in this course

Cybersecurity affects everyone, including in the delivery of basic products and services. If you or your organization want to better understand how to address your cybersecurity, this is the course for you and your colleagues to take -- from seasoned professionals to your non-technical colleagues.

Your instructor, Dr. Charles Harry, has served on the front lines with the NSA (National Security Agency) and as an expert advising corporate and institutional leaders on managing cybersecurity risk. And he brings a rare and engaging perspective to help you learn cybersecurity from the ground up. Cybersecurity for Everyone lays the groundwork to understand and explore the key issues facing policy makers attempting to manage the problem of cybersecurity, from its technical foundations to the domestic and international policy considerations surrounding governance, privacy, and risk management, to applications for achieving the goals of an enterprise, an institution, or a nation. This course is designed for students with some or no background in information technology, whether a novice or active in the cybersecurity field (engineers and computer scientists will learn the broader context and business aspects of cybersecurity), and will provide the principles to understand the current debates shaping a rapidly evolving security landscape.

What's included

8 videos4 readings1 assignment

8 videosTotal 61 minutes

Foundations: An Introduction1 minute
What is Cyber?9 minutes
What is Security? 8 minutes
Demystifying the Cybersecurity Problem9 minutes
The Threat Landscape16 minutes
Threat Landscape Challenge6 minutes
Examples of Cyber Incidence7 minutes
Practical Questions6 minutes

4 readingsTotal 115 minutes

Optional Reading: Harry, C & Gallagher, N “ Classifying Cyber Events: A Proposed Taxonomy”40 minutes
National Research Council, “At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy”, Ch. 1 30 minutes
For context: Avast, 2020 Threat Landscape Report 30 minutes
For context: James R. Clapper, Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community (Feb. 2015) – pp. 1-415 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Week 1 Quiz10 minutes

What's included

6 videos1 reading1 assignment

6 videosTotal 54 minutes

Academic Inspiration and a World Changing Idea10 minutes
Government Support and Prototyping10 minutes
Private Sector Support and Moving the Internet Out of the Lab10 minutes
Privatizing and Scaling the Internet8 minutes
Building the World Wide Web7 minutes
The Internet as a Global Commons9 minutes

1 readingTotal 45 minutes

Leiner, Cerf, et. al., A Brief History of the Internet – pp. 1-945 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes

Week 2 Quiz15 minutes

What's included

6 videos4 readings1 assignment

6 videosTotal 62 minutes

How Data Moves: Encapsulation9 minutes
How Data Moves: Application Layer10 minutes
How Data Moves: Network Layer8 minutes
How Data Moves: Physical Layer15 minutes
What is Governance?6 minutes
Governing the Internet15 minutes

4 readingsTotal 130 minutes

Vangie Beal “The 7 layers of the OSI Model”, Webopedia 20 minutes
For context: Joseph S. Nye, Jr. “The Regime Complex for Managing Global Cyber Activities”, Global Commission on Internet Governance“ 201430 minutes
For Context: Assante & Bochman “IoT, Automation, Autonomy, and Megacities in 2025: A Dark Preview”, Center for Strategic & International Studies, April 201740 minutes
Fischer, “The Internet of Things: Frequently Asked Questions” Congressional Research Service, Oct 2015 40 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes

Week 3 Quiz15 minutes

What's included

6 videos3 readings1 assignment

6 videosTotal 52 minutes

Threat Actors: Who Are the Hackers?9 minutes
Threat Actors: Hobbyists9 minutes
Threat Actors: Criminal Organizations9 minutes
Cyber Crime Case Study: The San Francisco Muni Attack 7 minutes
Threat Actors: Hacktivists9 minutes
Threat Actors: Advanced Persistent Threats9 minutes

3 readingsTotal 180 minutes

For context: Cybersecurity Threats Impacting the Nation30 minutes
Fire Eye, “APT28 Cybergroup Activity” 30 minutes
Lillian Ablon, Martin C. Libicki, Andrea A. Golay, Markets for cybercrime tools and stolen data, RAND Corporation 120 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Week 4 Quiz10 minutes

What's included

7 videos3 readings1 assignment

7 videosTotal 47 minutes

Hacking As a Process9 minutes
Reconnaissance8 minutes
Weaponization4 minutes
Delivery5 minutes
Exploitation and Installation6 minutes
Command and Control9 minutes
Effects7 minutes

3 readingsTotal 155 minutes

Lockheed Martin Cyber Kill chain 20 minutes
MITRE ATT&CK Framework90 minutes
Boebert, W. Earl, “A Survey of Challenges in Attribution,” in National Research Council, Proceedings of a Workshop on Deterring Cyberattacks, 2010, pp. 41-52.45 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Week 5 Quiz10 minutes

What's included

5 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review

5 videosTotal 43 minutes

Framing Effects6 minutes
Primary Effects14 minutes
Secondary Effects11 minutes
Second Level Effects8 minutes
A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity4 minutes

1 readingTotal 40 minutes

Harry, C & Gallagher, N “ Classifying Cyber Events: A Proposed Taxonomy” , CISSM40 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes

Week 6 Quiz15 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 240 minutes

Course Final Project240 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

(1,428 ratings)

Charles Harry

University of Maryland, College Park

3 Courses533,239 learners

Offered by

University of Maryland, College Park

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Reviewed on Aug 3, 2022

This course helped me in several ways one of them is helping me understand the various attacks that hackers might pull off having an understanding of such attacks will surely help me in the future

Reviewed on Feb 26, 2025

This is an outstanding course. The lecturer was really good. One of the best in my life. The videos were clear, the readings were engaging the questions and projects were challenging but good.

Reviewed on Sep 14, 2022

Prof Charles Harry is clear and concise in his delivery, with well-thought out topics to give learners a good foundation on the topic of cybersecurity and issues associated with it.

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Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.