This course covers a wide variety of IT security concepts, tools, and best practices. It introduces threats and attacks and the many ways they can show up. We’ll give you some background of encryption algorithms and how they’re used to safeguard data. Then, we’ll dive into the three As of information security: authentication, authorization, and accounting. We’ll also cover network security solutions, ranging from firewalls to Wifi encryption options. The course is rounded out by putting all these elements together into a multi-layered, in-depth security architecture, followed by recommendations on how to integrate a culture of security into your organization or team.
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IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts
This course is part of Google IT Support Professional Certificate
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Instructor: Google Career Certificates
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28 quizzes, 3 assignments
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- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
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There are 7 modules in this course
Welcome to the IT Security course of the IT Support Professional Certificate! In the first module of this course, we will cover the basics of security in an IT environment. We will learn how to define and recognize security risks, vulnerabilities and threats. We'll identify the most common security attacks in an organization and understand how security revolves around the "CIA" principle. By the end of this module, you will know the types of malicious software, network attacks, client-side attacks, and the essential security terms you'll see in the workplace.
What's included
10 videos8 readings4 quizzes
In the second module of this course, we'll learn about cryptology. We'll explore different types of encryption practices and how they work. We'll show you the most common algorithms used in cryptography and how they've evolved over time. By the end of this module, you'll understand how symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption, and hashing work; you'll also know how to choose the most appropriate cryptographic method for a scenario you may see in the workplace.
What's included
16 videos12 readings5 quizzes1 assignment2 app items
In the third module of this course, we'll learn about the "three A's" in cybersecurity. No matter what type of tech role you're in, it's important to understand how authentication, authorization, and accounting work within an organization. By the end of this module, you'll be able to choose the most appropriate method of authentication, authorization, and level of access granted for users in an organization.
What's included
14 videos5 readings3 quizzes
In the fourth module of this course, we'll learn about secure network architecture. It's important to know how to implement security measures on a network environment, so we'll show you some of the best practices to protect an organization's network. We'll learn about some of the risks of wireless networks and how to mitigate them. We'll also cover ways to monitor network traffic and read packet captures. By the end of this module, you'll understand how VPNs, proxies and reverse proxies work; why 802.1X is a super important for network protection; understand why WPA/WPA2 is better than WEP; and know how to use tcpdump to capture and analyze packets on a network. That's a lot of information, but well worth it for an IT Support Specialist to understand!
What's included
12 videos11 readings4 quizzes1 assignment1 app item
In the fifth module of this course, we're going to go more in-depth into security defense. We'll cover ways to implement methods for system hardening, application hardening, and determine the policies for OS security. By the end of this module, you'll know why it's important to disable unnecessary components of a system, learn about host-based firewalls, setup anti-malware protection, implement disk encryption, and configure software patch management and application policies.
What's included
9 videos6 readings3 quizzes
Congratulations, you've made it to the final module in the course! In the last module of this course, we'll explore ways to create a company culture for security. It's important for any tech role to determine appropriate measures to meet the three goals of security. By the end of this module, you will develop a security plan for an organization to demonstrate the skills you've learned in this course. You're almost done, keep up the great work!
What's included
24 videos19 readings5 quizzes1 assignment1 plugin
You will engage in a series of interactive activities based on concepts you’ve explored and skills you’ve gained throughout the program. You’ll also explore job readiness skills, develop your resume, and practice interviewing for jobs.
What's included
1 video20 readings4 quizzes
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24,005 reviews
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Reviewed on Apr 12, 2020
Personally, I found this course more dense than the previous courses. I would have liked to have seen more visual descriptions of the topics, e.g. cryptography. But other than that, great course :)
Reviewed on May 11, 2023
It's a great study experience to participate in program. I received certificate from Google to upgrade knowledge and online certification. i.e. IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts
Reviewed on Dec 5, 2020
An absolutely engaging and challenging feat that I am so proud to have completed. I hope this opens new door and better job opportunities so that I can better enhance my future. Thank you Google :)
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