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Foundations of Cybersecurity Operations

Gleb Marchenko and Starweaver

Through applied lessons, you’ll explore key principles including the CIA triad, zero trust, and identity and access management (IAM). You’ll also gain exposure to modern tools like SIEM and XDR for threat detection, and examine the structure and function of a Security Operations Center (SOC).

By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to understand cyber risks, strengthen defenses, and support secure decision-making. Whether you’re aiming to enter a cybersecurity career or enhance your organization’s security posture, this course provides the essential skills to get started.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Course Introduction

In this course, you’ll learn how to strengthen cybersecurity operations by mastering core principles, modern threat management, and security response practices. You’ll focus on real-world applications like zero trust, identity and access management, and Security Operations Center workflows, while exploring tools such as SIEM, XDR, and threat intelligence. Through expert instruction, case studies, and practical demonstrations, you’ll gain the skills to detect and respond to threats, protect sensitive data, and mitigate risks—while addressing common challenges like social engineering, insider threats, and behavioral biases.

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Career center

Learners who complete Foundations of Cybersecurity Operations will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Security Operations Center Analyst

A Security Operations Center Analyst, often known as a SOC Analyst, is at the forefront of an organization's defense, monitoring systems, detecting security incidents, and initiating response protocols. This role involves using various tools to analyze security events and identify potential threats. This course is exceptionally well-suited for an aspiring Security Operations Center Analyst. It provides a practical foundation in cybersecurity operations, explicitly covering the structure and function of a Security Operations Center, its key roles, workflows, and team responsibilities. Learners will gain exposure to modern tools like SIEM and XDR for effective threat detection, which are standard in SOC environments. The emphasis on incident detection and response, along with practical exercises like designing an incident response plan for a phishing attack, directly prepares you for the daily challenges of this vital role. This course helps build essential skills to confidently manage SOC operations.

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Incident Response Specialist

An Incident Response Specialist is crucial for an organization's resilience, acting swiftly to contain, eradicate, and recover from cyberattacks. This professional investigates security breaches, identifies their root causes, and implements measures to prevent future occurrences. This course is highly relevant for individuals aiming to become an Incident Response Specialist. It directly addresses the critical need to detect and respond to threats, providing you with a practical foundation in security response practices. The curriculum explores attacker motives, tactics, and modern human-centric risks such as phishing, which are common starting points for incidents. Notably, the course culminates in designing an incident response plan for a phishing-based credential compromise, integrating threat analysis, identity security, and SOC practices. This hands-on application helps build confidence in handling real-world security incidents.

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Identity and Access Management Administrator

An Identity and Access Management Administrator is responsible for managing digital identities and controlling who has access to an organization's systems and data. This involves configuring user permissions, implementing authentication mechanisms, and maintaining security policies. The "Foundations of Cybersecurity Operations" course is particularly beneficial for this career path, as it dedicates a module to securing digital identities and managing access. You will explore core IAM principles, Zero Trust architecture, and multi-factor authentication, along with privileged access management strategies. This comprehensive coverage helps you understand how layered methods build stronger, business-aligned security architectures. The course helps you be equipped to design identity and access policies that reduce risks and ensure compliance across systems, which is a fundamental aspect of being an Identity and Access Management Administrator.

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Cybersecurity Analyst

A Cybersecurity Analyst plays a pivotal role in protecting an organization's information systems by identifying vulnerabilities, analyzing threats, and implementing security measures. This professional continuously monitors security alerts and responds to incidents to maintain a strong security posture. The "Foundations of Cybersecurity Operations" course provides an excellent and practical foundation for aspiring Cybersecurity Analysts. It equips learners with the knowledge to understand cyber risks, strengthen defenses, and support secure decision-making across various digital environments. The course covers key principles like the CIA triad, explores modern threat management, and introduces tools such as SIEM and XDR for threat detection. Understanding common challenges like social engineering and insider threats is also central. This comprehensive overview helps build the essential skills needed to detect and respond to threats and mitigate risks effectively.

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Threat Intelligence Analyst

A Threat Intelligence Analyst gathers and analyzes information about potential and actual cyber threats to help organizations anticipate and protect against attacks. This role involves understanding adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures to provide actionable intelligence to security teams. This course may be useful for an aspiring Threat Intelligence Analyst. It provides a foundation by exploring attacker motives, tactics, and the evolving threat landscape, helping to understand the "who" and "why" behind cyberattacks. The course also mentions exposure to threat intelligence as a modern tool. While it does not focus exclusively on deep intelligence gathering or analysis methodologies, the practical understanding of real-world threats such as ransomware, phishing, insider risks, and data breaches helps build a crucial context for interpreting threat data and recognizing the importance of such intelligence in strengthening defenses.

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Security Administrator

A Security Administrator is responsible for implementing, maintaining, and troubleshooting security systems and controls within an organization. This includes managing firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and ensuring compliance with security policies. The "Foundations of Cybersecurity Operations" course provides a practical foundation directly applicable to the responsibilities of a Security Administrator. It equips you with the knowledge to understand cyber risks and strengthen defenses across various systems. You will explore key principles like the CIA triad and identity and access management, which are central to secure system configuration. Gaining exposure to modern tools like SIEM and XDR for threat detection further enhances your ability to manage and monitor security infrastructure effectively. This course helps build the essential skills to detect and respond to threats, protect sensitive data, and mitigate risks, which are daily tasks for a Security Administrator.

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Security Awareness and Training Specialist

A Security Awareness and Training Specialist develops and delivers programs to educate employees about cybersecurity risks, best practices, and compliance requirements. This role aims to foster a security-conscious culture and reduce human-centric vulnerabilities. This course may be useful for an aspiring Security Awareness and Training Specialist. It emphasizes understanding human-centric risks such as phishing and social engineering, along with behavioral biases, which are prime targets for awareness campaigns. The course equips you with a practical foundation in cybersecurity operations, including real-world threats like ransomware and data breaches, thereby providing robust content for training materials. You will learn about strengthening defenses and supporting secure decision-making, which are key messages for employee education. This course helps you gain the knowledge to communicate the importance of cybersecurity in today’s threat landscape effectively.

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Information Security Officer

An Information Security Officer, or ISO, is a leadership role responsible for developing and implementing an organization's information security strategy, policies, and procedures. This position ensures that security measures align with business objectives and regulatory requirements. This course may be useful for an aspiring Information Security Officer by helping build a foundational understanding of cybersecurity operations. While this role typically requires extensive experience and potentially an advanced degree, the course equips you with the knowledge to understand cyber risks, strengthen defenses, and support secure decision-making at an operational level. Exploring fundamental concepts like the CIA triad, Zero Trust, and the structure of a Security Operations Center provides crucial context for strategic oversight. Recognizing the importance of threat management and incident response practices helps an ISO guide their teams effectively.

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IT Auditor

An IT Auditor assesses an organization's information technology infrastructure, applications, and data to ensure they are secure, compliant with regulations, and operate efficiently. This role identifies vulnerabilities and recommends improvements to strengthen controls. This course may be useful for an aspiring IT Auditor, as it provides a practical foundation in cybersecurity operations that is directly relevant to evaluating security postures. You will explore key principles such as the CIA triad, which forms the basis of security control design, and learn about identity and access management, a critical area for audit focus. Understanding the structure and function of a Security Operations Center helps an auditor assess the effectiveness of an organization’s monitoring and response capabilities. This course helps you gain the skills to understand core cybersecurity principles and recognize their importance in safeguarding digital environments.

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Security Consultant

A Security Consultant advises organizations on various aspects of cybersecurity, including risk assessment, security architecture design, and compliance strategies. This professional often works with multiple clients to enhance their security posture against evolving threats. This course may be useful for an aspiring Security Consultant. It provides a practical foundation in cybersecurity operations, covering real-world threats such as ransomware, phishing, insider risks, and data breaches. Understanding key principles like the CIA triad, Zero Trust, and identity and access management helps a consultant evaluate existing security frameworks. Exposure to modern tools like SIEM and XDR, and knowledge of Security Operations Center workflows, helps build a comprehensive perspective to advise clients on strengthening defenses and mitigating risks. This course helps build foundational skills for supporting secure decision-making in diverse organizational contexts.

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Systems Administrator

A Systems Administrator manages and maintains an organization's server infrastructure, operating systems, and core applications. In today's landscape, securing these systems is a critical part of the role, often involving patch management, user account control, and basic threat monitoring. The "Foundations of Cybersecurity Operations" course equips a Systems Administrator with a crucial practical foundation in cybersecurity. You will explore key principles like the CIA triad and identity and access management, which are essential for configuring and securing system access. Understanding modern threat management, including human-centric risks like phishing, helps in proactively defending systems. The course helps you gain the skills to detect and respond to threats, protect sensitive data, and mitigate risks, providing a vital cybersecurity awareness that is no longer limited to specialists but is a core competency for anyone in IT operations.

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Network Security Engineer

A Network Security Engineer designs, implements, and maintains security solutions for an organization's network infrastructure. This involves configuring firewalls, VPNs, and intrusion detection/prevention systems to protect against unauthorized access and cyber threats. This course may be useful for an aspiring Network Security Engineer. While it does not dive deeply into specific network protocols or hardware, it provides a practical foundation in cybersecurity operations focused on strengthening defenses and mitigating risks across digital environments. Understanding key principles like the CIA triad and Zero Trust, and gaining exposure to threat detection tools like SIEM and XDR, helps build a broad context for network security. The course emphasizes detecting and responding to threats, which is crucial for maintaining network integrity and helps build skills to safeguard organizational systems against evolving cyber risks.

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Data Privacy Officer

A Data Privacy Officer oversees an organization's data protection strategy and its implementation to ensure compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR or CCPA. This includes managing data breaches, conducting privacy impact assessments, and advising on data handling practices. This course may be useful for an aspiring Data Privacy Officer by helping build a practical foundation in cybersecurity operations, particularly concerning data protection. The course focuses on real-world threats such as data breaches and strengthens your understanding of how to protect sensitive data. Exploring identity and access management helps in controlling who can access private information, while recognizing common challenges like insider threats and social engineering helps prevent data leaks. This course helps you gain the skills to support secure decision-making, which is crucial for upholding data privacy regulations and strengthening an organization’s security posture.

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Cloud Security Engineer

A Cloud Security Engineer focuses on securing an organization's cloud-based infrastructure, applications, and data. This role involves implementing security controls, monitoring cloud environments for threats, and ensuring compliance with cloud security best practices. This course may be useful for an aspiring Cloud Security Engineer. While it does not specifically focus on cloud platforms, it provides a practical foundation in cybersecurity operations that is highly transferable. Principles like Zero Trust, identity and access management, and threat mitigation are universally applicable and critical in cloud environments. Understanding real-world threats and gaining exposure to tools for threat detection helps build a mindset for securing dynamic cloud infrastructures. The course helps you gain the knowledge to understand cyber risks, strengthen defenses, and support secure decision-making, which are essential skills for protecting sensitive data in any environment, including the cloud.

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Application Security Engineer

An Application Security Engineer focuses on integrating security practices throughout the software development lifecycle, identifying and remediating vulnerabilities in applications, and ensuring secure coding standards. This role helps prevent security defects from reaching production. This course may be useful for an aspiring Application Security Engineer. While it does not delve deeply into coding or specific application vulnerabilities, it provides a practical foundation in cybersecurity operations by exploring software and web-based vulnerabilities as types of modern threats. Understanding attacker motives, tactics, and mitigation strategies for these threats helps an Application Security Engineer grasp the broader threat landscape applications operate within. The course helps you gain the skills to protect sensitive data and mitigate risks, providing a crucial context for building secure applications and understanding their role within an organization’s overall security posture.

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Hands-On Information Security Lab Manual

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This lab manual provides hands-on exercises that allow learners to practice and apply cybersecurity concepts. It covers topics such as network security, cryptography, and incident response, making it a valuable resource for students and professionals alike.

Foundations of Cybersecurity Operations

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