- What is Cybersecurity and Why is It Important?
- What Are the Best Cybersecurity Courses for Beginners?
- How Can These Courses Help Protect Against Identity Theft and Other Online Threats?
- What Other Steps Can Be Taken to Ensure Online Safety?
What is Cybersecurity and Why is It Important?
It is estimated that in 2022, 5.07 billion people or 63.5% of the world's population use the internet. As the use of online services continues to grow, so does the rate of cyber related crime and the need for individuals to better educate themselves on cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is not just about protecting your personal information – it’s also about protecting the information of others.
The good news is, achieving peace of mind is not difficult or expensive. You don’t need to be a technical expert or spend a fortune, short courses give you access to experts that can provide you the steps to take to improve your personal cybersecurity, and some are 100% free.
What Are the Best Cybersecurity Courses for Beginners?
If you're looking to learn more about cybersecurity, short online courses will give you the foundational knowledge you need to protect yourself and your family online. These are our picks for best cybersecurity courses for beginners:
- Best for Individuals - Cybersecurity Basics: Securing your life in the digital age
- Best for Kids - Staying Safe Online: Cyber Security Best Practices for Kids
- Best for Business People - Cyber Security Foundations: Why Cyber Security is Important
We reviewing courses from Udemy, Coursera and FutureLearn, three of the biggest global online course libraries. We picked the best cybersecurity courses for beginners based on their relevant topic coverage, course materials, presenters and user ratings.
Things to consider when choosing an online cybersecurity course:
- Course Facilitator
Check the instructors bio to ensure that they have the relevant expertise on the topic. - Quality of Learning Materials
Most online courses include a sample video. Check the quality and that the facilitator presents the material in a concise and easy to understand way. - Course Reviews
Free does not mean bad. People create courses because they are passionate about the topic. Check out the number of people that have taken the course and the recent reviews.
Cybersecurity Basics:
Securing Your Life In The Digital Age
Best for Individuals & Families
Course Created by Raj Parekh he is a Certified Security Systems Professional by ISC 2 and he has worked in cybersecurity for companies like Visa.
The course is designed for individuals or families and provides practical tactics on how to improve your security. Aside from the videos and quizzes Raj encourages participants to contact him with questions that might relate specifically to their situation. Raj covers topics including, how to manage your accounts, creating good passwords, protecting your computer, phone and email, internet browsing (protecting your kids), social media, identity protection and financial protection.
The course contains about 2.5 hours of video and costs $24.99.
Staying Safe Online: Cyber Security Best Practices for Kids
Best for Kids
Staying Safe Online was created by Pranav Patil an experienced and award winning cyber security expert who has given 100’s of seminars to kids in his community about staying safe online. This course is designed for parents and kids who are concerned about cybersecurity threats online. The course will help you to recognise scams, secure your computer and protect your online identity when browsing, using social media and gaming. The thing that we love is that Pranav shows you how to create good online habits including strong passwords and two factor authentication as well as dealing with cyberbullying. He goes over common scams to watch out for as well as antivirus software and VPNs.
The course contains 1.5 hours of video and is 100% Free.
Cyber Security Foundations: Why Cyber Security is Important
Best for Business People
CyberSecurity Foundations is designed for business people or individuals who want to learn the basics of cybersecurity. The goal of the course is to help you better understand the common types of cyber attacks, the risks they pose and what steps you can take to better protect your data. The course shows you how to build a good password policy, and why you should use a password manager, the risks associated with using USB drives, how to defend against viruses, risks associated with social media, how to identify phishing emails and best practices for mobile data security using VPN’s.
The course takes 6 hours to complete. FutureLearn provides a 7 day free trial. If you want to continue or take other course you pay $59 / month to access the platform.
How Can These Courses Help Protect Against Identity Theft and Other Online Threats?
Cybersecurity courses can help you protect yourself against common online threats such as identity theft, phishing scams, and malware attacks. By learning about common cyber threats and how to defend against them, you can significantly reduce the risk of getting scammed.
Learning how to spot potential threats and taking the extra step to warn others and notifying the proper authorities helps to create a safer environment for everyone.
What Other Steps Can Be Taken to Ensure Online Safety?
There are some simple steps that everyone can take to improve their online safety:
- use a strong password
- enable two-factor authentication
- don’t click on links or call phone numbers provided in emails
- keep your software and operating system up to date
- don’t use public wi-fi hotspots
Handy Checklist for Families
Print our handy checklist and place it on your refrigerator to remind you and your family how to stay safe online.
Download Checklist (141 KB PDF)
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