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University of Helsinki

Cyber Security Base

University of Helsinki via Independent

Overview

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About the Course Series
Cyber Security Base is a free course series by University of Helsinki and MOOC.fi in collaboration with F-Secure that focuses on building core knowledge and abilities related to the work of a cyber security professional.Learn about tools used to analyse flaws in software systems, necessary knowledge to build secure software systems (esp. within Web), the skills needed to perform risk and threat analysis on existing systems and the relevant legislation within EU.The course series consists of 6 smaller courses, each with a specific theme. Themes include a brief introduction to cyber security, operational security, web software development, types of vulnerabilities typical of web software, discovery and mitigation of such vulnerabilities, and advanced topics such as secure software architectures and cryptography. There will be several case studies as well as projects for participants. At the end of the course series, we'll also organize a friendly capture-the-flag competition where participants will try to solve some security puzzles.Each course is open for a certain period of time, and must be completed during that window.
Work load and prerequisites
There will be programming assignments, essays, quizzes and puzzles throughout the courses, and completing a specific part of a course means working and completing most if not all of them. See course descriptions for estimated required hours. Some programming background and ICT experience is required.The course has started! You don't need to register to start doing the course. There is an optional registration for those who want ECTS credits that can be done AFTER completing the course. More instructions in the material. So just head to the material and start doing the courses!

Syllabus

Introduction to Cyber Security
Part IIn this part:1. Introduction2. Cyber security in the real world3. Identifying threats4. From Brain to Stuxnet: selected history of malware5. How does the internet work6. Encrypt, decrypt
Securing Software
Part IIn this part:1. Ports and Applications2. Web Servers and Web Applications
Part IIIn this part:1. Web Applications continued...2. The Data has Value -- Let's store it!3. The HTTP protocol
Part IIIIn this part:1. Most Common Security Vulnerabilities
Part IVIn this part:1. Finding defects
Part VIn this part:1. Making Mistakes is (not) Harder with Modern Frameworks
Part VIIn this part:1. Threat Analysis
Project I
Part IIn the first project, the participants will construct software with security flaws, point out the flaws in the project, and provide the steps to fix them.
Advanced Topics
Part IIn this part:1. Categorizing and prioritizing threats
Part IIIn this part:1. Your system is the target
Part IIIIn this part:1. Cryptography2. Cryptanalysis3. Public-key cryptography4. Certificates
Part IVIn this part:1. Cellular security
Part VIn this part:1. Internet of Things
Project II
Part IIn the second project, the participants will install an operating system with a variety of vulnerabilities and then install a network intrusion prevention system into it. Subsequently, the participants will familiarize themselves with penetration testing software, and attack the system they installed.
CTF
Part IThe goal of the capture the flag (CTF) is to solve some simple problems related to the material you've studied so far. The challenges range from finding hidden messages, to encrypting and decrypting messages, and analyzing webpages and executables.

Reviews

4.8 rating, based on 9 Class Central reviews

Start your review of Cyber Security Base

  • It was a very Nice and Informative Sessions with Easy to Understand Hard Concepts by University of Helsinki.
  • I'm a beginner leaner and this course helped me a lot. I really wated to understand how all this branch in computer science worked and I'm glad I did.
  • Benedito Rofino Ginguine
    1
    Excelente curso para quem busca uma introdução sólida à segurança cibernética. Os módulos são bem estruturados e abordam desde conceitos básicos até tópicos mais avançados de forma clara e acessível. A combinação de teoria e exemplos práticos foi muito útil para compreender os principais desafios da área. Recomendo para quem quer iniciar sua jornada na cibersegurança ou reforçar seus conhecimentos.
  • Rizal Bagus Putra Agusta
    1
    The Cyber Security Base course from the University of Helsinki offers a solid and accessible introduction to the fundamentals of cybersecurity. The modular structure—covering topics such as network security, cryptography, and threat modeling—provides clear learning paths. The hands-on exercises and real-world examples helped reinforce theoretical concepts, though some of the programming tasks felt a bit rushed for complete beginners. Overall, the course strikes a good balance between depth and approachability, making it an excellent starting point for anyone looking to build a strong foundation in cybersecurity.
  • Ambika Korala
    This course is very helpful for gaining strong foundational knowledge in cybersecurity. The concepts are explained clearly with practical examples, making it easy for beginners to understand. It improved my understanding of security basics and motivated me to learn more. Thank you to the University of Helsinki for this valuable course.
  • Profile image for 3261 RUCHIT Solanki
    3261 RUCHIT Solanki
    such good work by class central. i glad to find this very early because this cyber security course is very helfu for me to make mt basic knowledge very powerfull
  • Profile image for SWAPNIL TORANE
    SWAPNIL TORANE
    It was a very Nice and Informative Sessions with Easy to Understand Hard Concepts by University of Helsinki.
  • Profile image for C CHANDRA KIRAN
    C CHANDRA KIRAN
    1
    it is vey good in learning a course , something new to learn is best if we consider this website.
    I learnt very important things from this course.
  • Abdiaziz Abdiwahid Abdullahi
    am really appreciate it and very grateful to took this course thank you guys. and I will continue taking other courses

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