Cyber Safety
Cyber Safety is a practical course designed to help you stay safe online in real life—on your phone, laptop, email, social media, and everyday websites. You will learn how scams work, how hackers take over accounts, and the simple habits that drastically reduce your risk.
This course focuses on the most common threats people face today: phishing emails and text messages, social media impersonation, password attacks, fake websites, dangerous downloads, and online privacy risks. You will also learn how to secure your accounts with strong passwords, passkeys/2FA, and safe device settings.
Learning format: This course does not require live class attendance. Course content unlocks weekly by topics, allowing trainees to study tutorials on their own schedule. Unlocked topics include assignments or projects that must be completed and submitted before their deadlines. The instructor provides weekly announcements, feedback, and reminders outlining the topics and tasks to be completed for that week.
By the end, you will be able to:
- Spot phishing, scam texts, and fake support messages before you click.
- Harden your accounts using password managers, passphrases, and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Secure your social media settings and prevent impersonation.
- Recognize common hacking tactics (credential stuffing, malware, social engineering).
- Protect your device with safe updates, backups, and privacy controls.
- Respond correctly if an account gets hacked (recovery steps + what to do next).
- Week 1: Cyber safety foundations (threats, mindset, red flags, safe browsing basics)
- Week 1: Passwords & account security (password managers, passphrases, MFA/2FA, recovery codes)
- Week 2: Phishing & scams (email, SMS, social media DMs, fake invoices, “verify your account” traps)
- Week 2: Social media safety (privacy settings, impersonation, oversharing, securing profiles)
- Week 3: Malware & downloads (malicious links, unsafe apps, browser extensions, drive-by downloads)
- Week 3: Wi-Fi & public networks (safe practices, VPN basics, hotspots, device sharing risks)
- Week 4: Online privacy & tracking (cookies, ad tracking, permissions, data minimization)
- Week 4: Safe online payments (shopping safety, bank alerts, card protections, avoiding fake stores)
- Week 4: Incident response (what to do if hacked, account recovery checklist, reporting steps)
- Capstone: Personal Cyber Safety Plan (secure your accounts + submit your checklist and screenshots)
Hands-on practice examples:
- Turn on 2FA/MFA for email + one social media account.
- Set account recovery options correctly and store recovery codes safely.
- Audit your social media privacy settings and remove risky permissions.
- Identify 10 real phishing red flags using guided examples.
- Create a personal “If I get hacked” response plan.
Course window: Classes start at a specific time and end at a specific time.
Study format: Tutorials are self-paced and can be completed at any time during the course window.
Weekly structure: New topics unlock each week. Trainees must study the released topics and complete the associated tutorials.
Deadlines: Assignments and projects related to each topic must be submitted before their weekly and final deadlines.
Instructor support: Weekly announcements and reminders are posted to guide trainees on topics and required tasks for each week.
Suggested weekly workload:
- 1–2 hours: video tutorials + reading
- 1–2 hours: hands-on security setup (accounts/devices)
- 30–60 minutes: quiz + weekly assignment submission
Grading (example):
- Weekly quizzes: 30%
- Weekly assignments: 40%
- Capstone Cyber Safety Plan: 30%