(UPI) Chapter 1: Basic Concepts and Models of Cybersecurity
60-minute College Credit Course
Start Course- College Credit
- Beginner
About this Course
Chapter 1 of the cybersecurity book introduces the foundational concepts and challenges of securing cyberspace, emphasizing the complexity of cybersecurity due to the diversity of interconnected systems and asymmetric threats from attackers. It explores key protection goals such as confidentiality, integrity, and availability, while highlighting the need for both proactive and reactive security measures to defend against evolving cyber threats.
1.2 Threats
This stage introduces the concept of cybersecurity, emphasizing the unique challenges of securing cyberspace due to the complexity and diversity of interconnected systems and the evolving tactics of malicious actors.
7 steps1.3 Approaches for Attack and Defense
This stage outlines various attacker types, including cybercriminals, nation-states, and hacktivists, each with unique motives and methods. It also describes proactive and reactive defense strategies, such as prevention, detection, mitigation, and recovery, to protect systems from cyber threats.
4 steps1.4 Threats and Solutions in Data Security
This stage discusses common threats to data, including unauthorized access, modification, and disclosure, affecting both data at rest and data in transit. It also outlines solutions like encryption, message authentication codes (MACs), and asymmetric cryptography to protect data integrity, confidentiality, and authenticity.
5 steps1.5 Malware Threats and Solutions
In this course we cover how malware propagates through autonomous and human-driven methods to deliver harmful payloads—such as ransomware, keyloggers, and botnets—with countermeasures including patches, user training, antivirus solutions, sandboxing, and active defense.
4 steps1.6 Threats and Solutions in Software Security
In this stage we cover how buffer overflows and SQL injections are common software security vulnerabilities arising from improper handling of memory and user inputs, respectively, requiring defensive techniques like DEP, ASLR, stack canaries, prepared statements, code audits, fuzzing, and responsible disclosure to effectively manage risks.
4 steps1.7 Threats and Solutions in Network Security
In this stage we cover how reconnaissance, firewalls, DDoS attacks, and network intrusion detection systems illustrate major network security threats requiring continuous testing—such as vulnerability scans and penetration testing—to effectively manage evolving risks and ethical challenges inherent to cybersecurity.
8 steps