When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.
Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate from Google
There are 7 modules in this course
This course covers a wide variety of IT security concepts, tools, and best practices. It introduces threats and attacks and the many ways they can show up. We’ll give you some background of encryption algorithms and how they’re used to safeguard data. Then, we’ll dive into the three As of information security: authentication, authorization, and accounting. We’ll also cover network security solutions, ranging from firewalls to Wifi encryption options. The course is rounded out by putting all these elements together into a multi-layered, in-depth security architecture, followed by recommendations on how to integrate a culture of security into your organization or team.
At the end of this course, you’ll understand:
● how various encryption algorithms and techniques work as well as their benefits and limitations.
● various authentication systems and types.
● the difference between authentication and authorization.
● how to evaluate potential risks and recommend ways to reduce risk.
● best practices for securing a network.
● how to help others to grasp security concepts and protect themselves.
● new AI skills from Google experts to help complete IT tasks.
Welcome to the IT Security course of the IT Support Professional Certificate! In the first module of this course, we will cover the basics of security in an IT environment. We will learn how to define and recognize security risks, vulnerabilities and threats. We'll identify the most common security attacks in an organization and understand how security revolves around the "CIA" principle. By the end of this module, you will know the types of malicious software, network attacks, client-side attacks, and the essential security terms you'll see in the workplace.
What's included
10 videos8 readings4 assignments
Show info about module content
10 videos•Total 33 minutes
Course Introduction•5 minutes
The CIA Triad•2 minutes
Essential Security Terms•4 minutes
Malicious Software•5 minutes
Malware Continued•3 minutes
Network Attacks•3 minutes
Denial-of-Service•3 minutes
Client-Side Attacks•2 minutes
Password Attacks•2 minutes
Deceptive Attacks•3 minutes
8 readings•Total 30 minutes
Helpful resources and tips•4 minutes
Antimalware Protection, Malware Removal•4 minutes
Learn About Malicious Software Attacks•1 minute
Learn About Network Attacks•1 minute
Supplemental Reading for DDoS Attacks•4 minutes
Deceptive Attacks•8 minutes
Physical Security•4 minutes
Glossary terms from course 5, module 1•4 minutes
4 assignments•Total 93 minutes
Test your knowledge: Malicious Software•14 minutes
In the second module of this course, we'll learn about cryptology. We'll explore different types of encryption practices and how they work. We'll show you the most common algorithms used in cryptography and how they've evolved over time. By the end of this module, you'll understand how symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption, and hashing work; you'll also know how to choose the most appropriate cryptographic method for a scenario you may see in the workplace.
What's included
16 videos12 readings6 assignments2 app items
Show info about module content
16 videos•Total 75 minutes
Cryptography•7 minutes
Symmetric Cryptography•5 minutes
Symmetric Encryption Algorithms•7 minutes
Rob: The work of a security engineer•1 minute
Asymmetric Cryptography•4 minutes
Asymmetric vs. Symmetric Cryptography•4 minutes
Asymmetric Encryption Algorithms•5 minutes
Hashing•3 minutes
Hashing Algorithms•5 minutes
Hashing Algorithms (continued)•5 minutes
Public Key Infrastructure•6 minutes
Certificates•3 minutes
Cryptography in Action•8 minutes
Securing Network Traffic•6 minutes
Cryptographic Hardware•6 minutes
Rejection•1 minute
12 readings•Total 42 minutes
Supplemental Reading for The Future of Cryptanalysis•4 minutes
Supplemental Reading for Symmetric Encryptions•1 minute
Learn About an Asymmetric Encryption Attack•1 minute
Learn About SHA-1 Attacks•2 minutes
Supplemental Reading for the X.509 Standard•2 minutes
Learn About PGP•1 minute
Supplemental Reading for Securing Network Traffic•2 minutes
Supplemental Reading for TPM Attacks•1 minute
Glossary terms from course 5, module 2•4 minutes
Qwiklabs guidelines and troubleshooting steps•8 minutes
Exemplar: Creating/inspecting key pair, encrypting/decrypting and sign/verify using OpenSSL•8 minutes
Exemplar: Hands-on with hashing•8 minutes
6 assignments•Total 108 minutes
Test your knowledge: Symmetric Encryption•10 minutes
Test your knowledge: Public Key or Asymmetric Encryption•6 minutes
Test your knowledge: Hashing•8 minutes
Test your knowledge: Cryptography Applications•6 minutes
Test your knowledge: Pelcgbybtl (Cryptology)•28 minutes
Creating/inspecting key pair, encrypting/decrypting and sign/verify using OpenSSL•60 minutes
Hands-on with Hashing•60 minutes
The 3 A's of Cybersecurity: Authentication, Authorization, Accounting
Module 3•2 hours to complete
Module details
In the third module of this course, we'll learn about the "three A's" in cybersecurity. No matter what type of tech role you're in, it's important to understand how authentication, authorization, and accounting work within an organization. By the end of this module, you'll be able to choose the most appropriate method of authentication, authorization, and level of access granted for users in an organization.
What's included
14 videos5 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
14 videos•Total 47 minutes
Best practices for authentication•6 minutes
Multifactor Authentication•6 minutes
Multifactor Authentication Options•6 minutes
Certificates, Part Two•3 minutes
RADIUS•2 minutes
Kerberos•7 minutes
TACACS+•1 minute
Single Sign-On•3 minutes
Rob: My path to IT•1 minute
Authorization and Access Control Methods•1 minute
Access Control•5 minutes
Access Control List•1 minute
Tracking Usage and Access•2 minutes
Rob: Important skills in security•2 minutes
5 readings•Total 14 minutes
Physical Privacy and Security Components•4 minutes
Supplemental Reading for Authentication•1 minute
Mobile Security Methods•4 minutes
Learn About Authorization•1 minute
Glossary terms from course 5, module 3•4 minutes
3 assignments•Total 87 minutes
Test your knowledge: Authentication•26 minutes
Test your knowledge: Authorization and Accounting•6 minutes
In the fourth module of this course, we'll learn about secure network architecture. It's important to know how to implement security measures on a network environment, so we'll show you some of the best practices to protect an organization's network. We'll learn about some of the risks of wireless networks and how to mitigate them. We'll also cover ways to monitor network traffic and read packet captures. By the end of this module, you'll understand how VPNs, proxies and reverse proxies work; why 802.1X is a super important for network protection; understand why WPA/WPA2 is better than WEP; and know how to use tcpdump to capture and analyze packets on a network. That's a lot of information, but well worth it for an IT Support Specialist to understand!
What's included
12 videos11 readings4 assignments1 app item
Show info about module content
12 videos•Total 64 minutes
Network Hardening Best Practices•8 minutes
Network Hardware Hardening•8 minutes
Network Software Hardening•4 minutes
Joe: My personal obstacle•1 minute
WEP Encryption and Why You Shouldn't Use It•8 minutes
Let's Get Rid of WEP!•7 minutes
WPA2•7 minutes
Wireless Hardening•3 minutes
Heather: The impact of social engineering•1 minute
Sniffing the Network•5 minutes
Wireshark and tcpdump•6 minutes
Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems•6 minutes
11 readings•Total 46 minutes
Supplemental Reading for Network Hardening Best Practices•4 minutes
Supplemental Reading on IEEE 802.1X•4 minutes
Supplementary reading on HAProxy, nginx and Apache HTTP server•4 minutes
Supplementary reading for WEP Encryption and Why You Shouldn't Use It•4 minutes
Supplementary reading on WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) PIN brute force vulnerability•1 minute
Learn About Promiscuous Mode•1 minute
Supplemental reading for Intrusion Detection/Prevention System•4 minutes
Unified Threat Management (UTM) •8 minutes
Home Network Security •4 minutes
Exemplar: Introduction to tcpdump•8 minutes
Glossary terms from course 5, module 4•4 minutes
4 assignments•Total 82 minutes
Test your knowledge: Secure Network Architecture•14 minutes
Test your knowledge: Wireless Security•8 minutes
Test your knowledge: Network Monitoring•10 minutes
Module 4 challenge: Securing Your Networks•50 minutes
1 app item•Total 60 minutes
Introduction to tcpdump•60 minutes
Defense in Depth
Module 5•2 hours to complete
Module details
In the fifth module of this course, we're going to go more in-depth into security defense. We'll cover ways to implement methods for system hardening, application hardening, and determine the policies for OS security. By the end of this module, you'll know why it's important to disable unnecessary components of a system, learn about host-based firewalls, setup anti-malware protection, implement disk encryption, and configure software patch management and application policies.
What's included
9 videos6 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
9 videos•Total 41 minutes
Intro to Defense in Depth•1 minute
Disabling Unnecessary Components•4 minutes
Host-Based Firewall•4 minutes
Logging and Auditing•6 minutes
Antimalware Protection•7 minutes
Disk Encryption•6 minutes
Heather: Self-learning is the key to success•1 minute
Software Patch Management•6 minutes
Application Policies•4 minutes
6 readings•Total 28 minutes
Supplemental Reading for Logging and Auditing•4 minutes
Windows Defender Guide•8 minutes
Supplemental Readings for Antimalware Protection•4 minutes
Supplemental Reading for Disk Encryption•4 minutes
Browser Hardening•4 minutes
Glossary terms from course 5, module 5•4 minutes
3 assignments•Total 64 minutes
Test your knowledge: System Hardening•20 minutes
Test your knowledge: Application Hardening•4 minutes
Module 5 challenge: Defense in Depth•40 minutes
Creating a Company Culture for Security
Module 6•3 hours to complete
Module details
Congratulations, you've made it to the final module in the course! In the last module of this course, we'll explore ways to create a company culture for security. It's important for any tech role to determine appropriate measures to meet the three goals of security. By the end of this module, you will develop a security plan for an organization to demonstrate the skills you've learned in this course. You're almost done, keep up the great work!
What's included
14 videos9 readings5 assignments
Show info about module content
14 videos•Total 53 minutes
Security Goals•7 minutes
Measuring and Assessing Risk•5 minutes
Privacy Policy•4 minutes
User Habits•6 minutes
Third-Party Security•4 minutes
Security Training•3 minutes
Alex: Qualities of an IT candidate•2 minutes
Incident Reporting and Analysis•7 minutes
Incident Response and Recovery•6 minutes
Mobile Security and Privacy•4 minutes
Amir: Tips for interviews •1 minute
Ari: Tips for interviews•2 minutes
Interview Role Play: Security•4 minutes
Final Assessment•0 minutes
9 readings•Total 34 minutes
Supplemental Reading for Risk in the Workplace•1 minute
Data Destruction•4 minutes
Supplemental Reading for User Habits•1 minute
Supplemental Reading for Vendor Security Assessment Questionnaires•4 minutes
Incident Response•4 minutes
Supplemental Readings for Mobile Security and Privacy•4 minutes
Bring Your Own Device•4 minutes
Final Project - Sample Submission•8 minutes
Glossary terms from course 5, module 6•4 minutes
5 assignments•Total 103 minutes
Test your knowledge: Risk in the Workplace•10 minutes
Test your knowledge: Users•4 minutes
Test your knowledge: Incident Handling•4 minutes
Module 6 challenge: Creating a Company Culture for Security•55 minutes
Creating a Company Culture for Security - Design Document•30 minutes
Streamline Workflows with AI
Module 7•2 hours to complete
Module details
In the last module of this program, you will learn about ways to use AI to help streamline many common IT tasks and workflows, including troubleshooting, communicating technical concepts, automating routine tasks, simplifying documentation, and identifying security risks.
What's included
9 videos8 readings1 assignment1 plugin
Show info about module content
9 videos•Total 28 minutes
Nathalia: Driving impact with AI in the workplace•3 minutes
Boost your IT Support skills with AI•5 minutes
Leverage AI for faster troubleshooting•4 minutes
Communicate technical concepts with AI•2 minutes
Automate routine tasks with AI•5 minutes
Simplify IT documentation using AI•4 minutes
Use AI to identify IT security risks•3 minutes
Introducing Google AI Essentials•1 minute
Congratulations!•1 minute
8 readings•Total 50 minutes
Introduction to AI for IT Support•8 minutes
Use generative AI to work smarter and faster•8 minutes
Key takeaways for AI in IT Support•8 minutes
Take the next step with Google AI Essentials •8 minutes
How to Add Google IT Support Certificate to Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile•8 minutes
Course 5 Glossary•2 minutes
Information and FAQs about badges•4 minutes
Resources for Google IT Support Certificate graduates•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 45 minutes
Activity: Use generative AI to write a message to users•45 minutes
1 plugin•Total 10 minutes
Google IT Cert Participant Exit Survey•10 minutes
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
Instructor
Instructor ratings
Instructor ratings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
Grow with Google is an initiative that draws on Google's decades-long history of building products, platforms, and services that help people and businesses grow. We aim to help everyone – those who make up the workforce of today and the students who will drive the workforce of tomorrow – access the best of Google’s training and tools to grow their skills, careers, and businesses.
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."
Learner reviews
4.8
26,020 reviews
5 stars
84.85%
4 stars
12.43%
3 stars
1.89%
2 stars
0.42%
1 star
0.39%
Showing 3 of 26020
S
SG
5·
Reviewed on Nov 24, 2021
An absolutely engaging and challenging feat that I am so proud to have completed. I hope this opens new door and better job opportunities so that I can better enhance my future. Thank you Google
Y
YG
5·
Reviewed on May 10, 2023
It's a great study experience to participate in program. I received certificate from Google to upgrade knowledge and online certification. i.e. IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts
G
GS
4·
Reviewed on Apr 11, 2020
Personally, I found this course more dense than the previous courses. I would have liked to have seen more visual descriptions of the topics, e.g. cryptography. But other than that, great course :)
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
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.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Certificate?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Certificate, 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.