Lucas T.
Sample The AI phishing point is important
Focusing on the request rather than spelling mistakes is the most useful advice I have heard this year.
Cybersecurity fundamentals: threats, controls and habits
Understand how real attacks happen and which controls stop them: phishing, passwords, MFA, patching, backups, encryption and incident response
Created by Levan Kapanadze
- Updated September 2026
- English
- Beginner
What you will learn
- Explain common attack paths in plain language
- Describe confidentiality, integrity, availability and basic risk thinking
- Set up a password manager, MFA and passkeys correctly
- Recognise phishing and social engineering attempts, including AI assisted ones
- Explain why patching, backups and encryption matter and how to apply them
- Respond sensibly in the first hour of a suspected incident
Course content
How attacks really happen
Protecting devices and software
- Video: Patching and updates 10 min
- Video: Endpoint protection and device hygiene 9 min
- Article: Safe browsing and downloads 8 min
- Video: Mobile devices and apps 8 min
Protecting data
- Video: Backups that survive ransomware 11 min
- Article: Encryption in everyday terms 10 min
- Video: Sharing files and data safely 9 min
- Video: Privacy basics and personal data 9 min
Security at work
- Article: Least privilege and access reviews 9 min
- Video: Cloud and SaaS security basics 10 min
- Video: Logging and detection basics 9 min
- Article: Security culture and reporting 8 min
Home and small office networks
- Video: Securing your router and Wi-Fi 9 min
- Video: Smart devices and the internet of things 8 min
- Article: Public Wi-Fi and VPNs 8 min
When something goes wrong
- Video: The first hour of an incident 11 min
- Video: Recovering a compromised account 9 min
- Article: Planning ahead with a simple response plan 9 min
- Video: Next steps in a security career 7 min
- Quiz: Final check 6 min
Requirements
- No technical background required
- A computer or phone to try the practical steps
Description
Security can feel like an endless list of threats and acronyms. In practice, a small number of attack patterns cause most incidents, and a small number of habits and controls stop most of them. This free course teaches those patterns and controls in plain language.
What you will learn
- How attackers actually get in: phishing, stolen passwords, unpatched software, misconfiguration and supply chain compromises
- The core ideas: confidentiality, integrity, availability, risk, threats and vulnerabilities
- Strong authentication: password managers, multi factor authentication and passkeys
- Patching, backups and encryption, and why each one matters
- Recognising social engineering, including convincing AI generated messages and voice calls
- What to do in the first hour when something goes wrong
Who it is for
This course is for anyone who works with computers: developers, IT staff, managers, small business owners and students considering a security career. No technical background is required, although technical learners will find the later sections useful as a foundation for deeper courses.
Every section ends with practical actions. By the end you will have a short personal and workplace checklist and the vocabulary to talk with security teams confidently.
Who this course is for
- Anyone who uses computers at work and wants to stay safe
- Developers and IT staff building a security foundation
- Students considering a career in cybersecurity
Instructor
Levan Kapanadze
Security engineer teaching security fundamentals, identity and network defence in plain language
- 4.3 instructor rating
- 21 reviews
- 7,370 students
- 3 courses
- Sample
I work on security for engineering organisations: access control, network design reviews, incident response and a lot of patient explaining. I believe most security problems are solved by clear habits rather than expensive tools.
My courses are for developers, IT staff and curious beginners who want to understand how attacks really happen and which controls actually reduce risk. We cover passwords and passkeys, MFA, least privilege, segmentation, logging and how to respond when something goes wrong.
I avoid fear based teaching. You will leave each course with a short list of concrete changes you can make at work or at home this week.
Student reviews
Natalia V.
Sample Clear and not scary
Explains real threats without fear mongering. I set up a password manager and passkeys the same evening.
Owen J.
Sample Great for our whole team
We asked everyone in our small company to take it. The phishing lesson led to two reports in the first week.
Ewa D.
Sample Perfect start for a career change
I am moving into security from customer support. This gave me the vocabulary and a plan for what to learn next.
Rania A.
Sample An excellent security foundation
Good balance between concepts and actions. Technical people may find section one basic, but it is well done.
Kojo A.
Sample Backups lesson was a wake up call
I realised all my backups were online and deletable. Fixed now with an offline copy.
Maryam K.
Sample Practical incident steps
The compromised account recovery checklist is now pinned in our IT channel.
Steven P.
Sample Good basics, familiar content
Accurate and clear, but much of it I had seen in workplace training before.
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