Information Security Online Course

Learn to keep information on your computer secure.

Whether you are an individual or a large corporation, it is essential to learn how to keep your computer information secure. The course covers fundamental security concepts such as confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as well as critical concepts related to users, including authorization, authentication, and non-repudiation.

Detailed Course Outline

This course is made up of a number of lessons or units. Each of these has self assessment questions, a set task (practical homework) and an assignment which you can upload online.

There are 11 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Information Security

• • Need for Security
  • Basic Security Concepts
  • Security Breaches and Intrusions
  • Types of Threats
  • Threat Assessment
  • Vulnerability Assessment
  • Security through Obscurity
  • Hackers
  • Crackers
  • The Difference between Hackers and Crackers
  • IP Spoofing
  • Blind Spoofing
  • Man in the Middle Attack
  • Denial of Service
  • Distributed Denial of Service
  • Phishing
  • How to Defend against Spoofing
  • What is a Botnet
  • Types of bots and their Malicious Use

2. Information Security Ethics

• • Ethical Issues facing IT Professionals
  • Legal Issues facing IT Professionals
  • Intellectual Property Rights

3. Data Integrity and Backing up

• • What is Data Integrity
  • Protection
  • Detection
  • Correction
  • What is Data backup
  • Full backup
  • Incremental backup
  • Mirror backup
  • Offsite backup
  • Offsite versus Onsite Backup
  • Disk based versus Tape based Backup
  • Online backup

4. Vulnerabilities of Operating Systems and Information Systems

• • What is Vulnerability
  • Operating Systems and Software Vulnerability
  • Running Virus Protection Software
  • Updating Security Patches for Software
  • Approved Software
  • FTP Vulnerability
  • Trojan Horses
  • Who is at Risk of Trojan Horses
  • Protection against Trojans

5. Risk Management

• • What is Risk Management
  • Key Roles in the Risk Management Process
  • Risk Assessment
  • Characterising the System
  • Identifying Threats
  • Control Analysis
  • Determining Likelihood Ratings
  • Analyzing the Impact
  • Determining the Risks
  • Controls Recommendations
  • Risk Mitigation
  • Risk Evaluation

6. Information Security Technologies, Developments and Initiatives

• • What is VPN (Virtual Private Network)
  • Features and Benefits of VPN
  • Components of Remote Access VPN
  • Protocols Used in VPN Connections
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of VPN
  • What is a Firewall
  • Main Functions of Firewalls
  • Packet Filtering
  • Circuit Relay
  • Application Gateway
  • Firewall Rules
  • What are Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
  • Types of IDS
  • IDS versus Firewalls

7. Physical Security

• • What is Physical Security?
  • Natural Disasters and Controls
  • Lightning
  • Power Loss
  • Fire
  • Earthquake
  • Liquid Leakage
  • The Human Factor
  • Locks
  • Tokens
  • Challenge-response Tokens
  • Dumb Cards
  • Smart Cards
  • Biometric Devices
  • Fingerprint Scanners
  • Retnal Scan Devices
  • Palm Scan Devices
  • Hand Geometry Devices
  • Facial Recognition Devices

8. Developing a security Policy

• • Introduction
  • Need for Security
  • Importance of Security Policy
  • Developing a Security Policy

9. Implementing and revising a security policy

• • Introduction
  • Communicating the Security Policy
  • Enforcing the Security Policy
  • Assessing the Security Policy
  • Common Security Policies
  • Password Policy
  • Access Control Policy
  • Displaying a Warning Notice
  • Audit Policy
  • Server Security Policy
  • Automatically Forwarded Emailsa Policy
  • Information Sensitivity Policy
  • Anti Virus Policy
  • Remote Access Policy
  • Wireless Communication Policy

10. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning

• • Difference between disaster recover and business continuity?
  • Disaster recovery plan
  • Business continuity plan

11. Information Security Maintenance

• • Time Management
  • Networking
  • Management
  • Attitude
  • Procedures
  • Products and Services
  • The Law

When you have completed the lessons of your course, you will be given the option of taking the optional exam. It’s okay if you don’t want the exam, we still issue your Careerline Certificate. For Advanced Certificates however, the exam is compulsory (per module) and are included in the course fee.