CYBERSECURITY ESSENTIALS

Being a successful student requires understanding how you learn, identifying your values, and setting clear goals. It also means mastering time and financial management, developing strong note-taking and test-taking skills, collaborating effectively, and leveraging technology to enhance your efficiency. In this course, you will learn essential research, writing, and presentation skills.

Additionally, you will focus on financial literacy through the Enriched Academy program, designed specifically for Oxford College students, to help you confidently manage your finances.

Students will explore the fundamental principles of cybersecurity, including risk management, access control, and threat assessment. The module covers the historical development of cybersecurity and its increasing importance in today’s business world. Students will also examine the benefits and challenges of cybersecurity measures and analyze current trends in digital technology impacting organizations globally.

This module dives into the core principles of cybersecurity, exploring the tactics of both cybercriminals and defenders. Students will learn how organizations protect their information assets from various threats, laying a strong foundation in essential security concepts. As students progress, they will gain a deeper understanding of the strategies and tools required to navigate modern cybersecurity challenges.

Students will study access control, including the key principles of logical, physical, and administrative control. The module covers identification, authentication, authorization, and accountability, along with the identity and access management lifecycle. Students will also explore the management of privileged accounts, which are critical for maintaining secure systems.

Focusing on networking concepts, this module covers the OSI model, IP addressing, and subnetting principles. Students will learn how subnetting optimizes IP address allocation and how to design scalable and efficient network architectures. This foundation equips students with the skills to create and manage network systems that meet modern security demands.

Students will explore data security controls, including cryptography, data handling, and the data lifecycle. The module emphasizes the importance of logging, monitoring, and system hardening techniques, such as patching and secure configuration baselines. Best practices in security policy and security awareness training will also be discussed to help organizations defend against human errors.

This module introduces the essentials of incident response, focusing on how organizations prepare for and react to security incidents. Students will learn how to monitor, investigate, and respond to potential threats, as well as how to conduct remediation and recovery. The course also covers when to involve law enforcement in cybersecurity investigations.

Students will learn the principles of business continuity and disaster recovery, which help organizations remain resilient during disruptions. The module distinguishes between security incidents and disasters, focusing on how business continuity planning addresses broader operational disruptions and incident response targets specific security threats for faster recovery.

This module examines industry standards such as ISO 22301 for Business Continuity Management and NIST SP 800-34 for contingency planning. Students will learn how these frameworks guide organizations in developing and implementing effective continuity plans. The module also covers certification options and a seven-step process for managing business continuity.

Students will focus on the importance of security awareness training as a preventive measure against cybersecurity incidents. They will learn best practices for recognizing malicious activity, including phishing attempts, and the procedures for reporting suspicious actions. This knowledge is vital for creating a culture of security within organizations.

This capstone provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate foundational cybersecurity skills through the design of basic security architecture. Students will focus on identifying vulnerabilities, applying mitigation strategies, and implementing best practices in access control, threat monitoring, and incident response for a simulated business environment.