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Adopting adequate risk mitigation strategies is critical for digital enterprises which need to deal with the emerging generation of cyberthreats. Each industry faces cybersecurity costs that keep growing year after year, and security experts are in high demand everywhere.
From application security engineers to network security analysts and IS security managers, the salary of one of the many cybersecurity specialist positions can be as high as $128k per year!
The cyberthreat landscape is not limited to big businesses anymore, and even small-to-medium businesses have become easy targets that many hackers prefer to attack on a daily basis. This means that even less-experienced professionals who only have a basic computing background may find a lot of opportunities to jump-start their careers.
Online courses are aplenty, and can provide all the necessary information to specialize in the exciting field of cybersecurity.
Here is a list of a few certified courses that can help you fulfill your dream of becoming a full-fledged cybersecurity expert in no time. (Or, if your interests lie more in data science, check out 5 Prestigious Online Data Science Courses from the Biggest Names in Tech.)
Top 6 Online Courses in Cybersecurity:
- Introduction to Cybersecurity – University of Washington
- Cybersecurity Fundamentals – Rochester Institute of Technology
- Enterprise Security Fundamentals – Microsoft
- Cybersecurity Risk Management – Rochester Institute of Technology
- Cybersecurity and Privacy in the IoT – CurtinX
- Building a Cybersecurity Toolkit – University of Washington
Introduction to Cybersecurity
Institution: University of Washington
The first, most basic course of our list is aptly named “Introduction to Cybersecurity” since it will introduce you to the very world of digital security. During this course you will learn all about the basic terms and concepts that define the national and international cybersecurity landscape.
Your instructor, Barbara Endicott-Popovsky from the University of Washington, will guide you through the legal environment surrounding the world of security, and explain how current international laws impact the modern threat landscape.
At the end of this certified course you will also broaden your knowledge of the different threat actors and the agencies fighting against them.
Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Institution: Rochester Institute of Technology
Now that you know more about what’s what, it is time to start learning the fundamentals of computing security. This course, led by Jonathan S. Weissman, senior lecturer from the Rochester Institute of Technology, will teach you the necessary techniques to protect network infrastructures and systems.
You will master the basics of cryptography — an incredibly valuable skill if you want to advance in the field of computing security.
Since you will learn how to implement effective solutions for organizations of any size, the Cybersecurity Fundamentals course is a great place to start if you’re still a “rookie” in the world of digital security.
Enterprise Security Fundamentals
Institution: Microsoft
In cybersecurity, red team-blue team techniques are often used to assess the security posture of an infrastructure. Just like in video games such as League of Legends, two teams, red and blue, are pitted against each other.
One imitates the “hacker” which tries to violate the network’s defenses, and the other one tries to protect it against this attack. In practice, this playground will work to reinforce an enterprise’s defenses until they eventually merge into a single purple team, moving from a death-match to a co-op match.
So, even if this course looks like a multiplayer match of Doom, you are going to learn one of the most important techniques used by cybersecurity pros!
Cybersecurity Risk Management
Institution: Rochester Institute of Technology
After learning all about the basics of cybersecurity, it’s time to take a step forward and become a true expert. In order to minimize the chances of a breach occurring in a network, security experts usually perform IT risk assessments as part of their preemptive mitigation strategies.
This course will guide you through the three key elements of risk management: risk analysis, risk assessment and risk mitigation. As the risk level is determined, you will be able to properly assess the vulnerability of a system, and prepare a mitigation strategy.
The course will also teach you how to conduct a cost-benefit analysis and a business impact analysis.
Cybersecurity and Privacy in the IoT
Institution: CurtinX
Internet of things (IoT) devices are a great innovation that has made our life so much simpler. However, they also represent a constant source of worries to cybersecurity professionals since they constitute a serious vulnerability in any system.
If you are going to work in the field, knowing all about the privacy and security issues associated with IoT is just as important as understanding how to best mitigate them.
First things first, this course will explain the (pretty serious) privacy concerns associated with the nearly infinite number of IoT devices tracking everything we do.
Then, you will also learn how to secure IoT devices, networks and applications.
Building a Cybersecurity Toolkit
Institution: University of Washington
You did your math diligently, and learned all the necessary technical skills to become a cybersecurity expert, or so you thought. But to call yourself a true “master of computing security” there’s something that goes well beyond the mere technicalities.
You need to be flexible, agile, proactive and smart to be able to expand your arsenal against the infinite amount of threats that you may encounter. Are you ready to finally go one step beyond and learn how to adapt to any hack attempt, even those you did not even imagine before?
This course has been created to expand your cybersecurity “toolkit” with all the problem-solving skills to shift your role at any time, evolve as quickly as possible, and react against any threat with creativity and intelligence.
Conclusion
The world of technology is currently facing a shortage of skilled and qualified cybersecurity professionals. If you want to launch your career in one of the most rapidly growing industries, this is, hands down, the best time possible.
Grab a seat and have a look at these courses to find the right one that suits your needs!
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