With cyber security month taking place in different forms across the globe this October, Rebecca Lee takes a look at some cybersecurity courses available for beginners to increase cyber-savviness.

With European Cybersecurity Month swiftly approaching this October and rapid technological developments, many of us will be looking for ways to increase how we protect ourselves online, both in and out of the office.

What exactly is cybersecurity, you ask? It can be defined as protecting internet-connected systems, such as devices, programs, networks, and data, from cyber-attacks or unauthorized access.

According to SecureWorld, the United States remains the most cyber-aware country in the world, followed by China and The United Kingdom. When it comes to organizations, more interestingly, a poll by InfoSecurity Europe revealed that 50 percent of people believe a lack of awareness is the biggest security failure or cause of a data breach within their organization.

With hundreds of cyber-awareness activities taking place worldwide next month to promote digital security and hygiene, we looked at a number of cybersecurity courses that will enable you to amplify your efforts in staying safe online, personally and professionally.

Whether it’s self-paced or working to a deadline, these are just some beginner courses that aim to make you cyber-savvy and hacker-proof.

Professional Diploma in Cyber Security, University College Dublin 

University College Dublin offers a twelve-week online cyber security course for those looking to receive official accreditation. With just one three-hour lecture per week, it covers digital forensics, open-source intelligence, and social engineering, risk management, malware, cryptography, and more. It will teach you to ‘think like a hacker and help you identify any potential cyber threats online. The course runs in September, October, and November. For more, see the University College Dublin website.

NIST Cyber Security Expert course, The International Cyber Threat Task Force

This course, which teaches participants how to establish, assess and operationalize a cybersecurity program is aimed at people who want to apply their cyber knowledge to their workplace. Encompassing a real-life approach to understanding cyber security fundamentals, it offers modules on cyber management fundamentals, the cyber threat landscape, understanding frameworks, establishing a cyber-risk management program in the workplace, and more. Similar to UCD, it offers certification, and you can learn at your own pace, with ten modules to be covered within 90 days and continuous assessment required. It is an ongoing program, so you can sign up when you prefer. You can visit the International Cyber Threat Task Force website for further details.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Training Course, itGovernance

One of the more Europe-wide courses, the itGovernance program offers a wide range of programs to those looking to increase their knowledge around cyberattacks. One of its most popular is the Certified Ethical Hacker course, which makes you think like an online criminal, helping curb any cyberattacks against you or the company you are working for. Entirely online, it teaches you how to plan and perform ethical hacking/penetration testing using the latest techniques. It takes place over just five days and is taught by an expert team of EC-Council practitioners. It covers a wide berth of topics, including hacking wireless networks, SQL injection (a code injection technique used to attack data-driven applications), footprinting and reconnaissance, scanning networks, and more. To learn how to think like a hacker and act like a hacker, see here for further information.

Introduction to CyberSecurity, Future Learn 

This uber-popular eight-week learn-at-your-own-pace course aims to equip absolute beginners with the skills to assess the threat landscape and understand cryptography and network encryption. Fully accredited by the UK Government intelligence organization GCHQ, it provides a free trial and is run by The Open University. One of the better courses available for absolute novices, modules are around terminology, cybersecurity threats, two-factor authentication, malware attacks, network security, and cybersecurity laws. A more detailed course than most, it also offers the opportunity to explore intrusion detection systems and honeypots so you can detect stinging attacks before they occur. To learn more, you can visit the futurelearn website.