Since the late sixties, American researchers have not only been able to use computers as standalone calculating machines but to connect them to a broad network. This was the start of the Internet which, in the meantime, connects nearly four billion people and around 23 billion devices, (e.g., computers, smartphones and sensors). The network of networks has therefore also become an attractive target for criminals. Around four million attacks are registered every day, (i.e., 50 per second). Although the economic damage around the globe is huge - and we are talking about US$400 billion a year - only a small amount of resources is spent on Internet security.

Protection from Internet risks requires more action worldwide: from businesses, institutions, public authorities, and every one of us. In this 6-week free course in English, we offer practical support to face this challenging task. With no prior knowledge required, participants can find out what methods hackers use to break into computers and networks. Learn how cybercriminals manage to steal passwords and how you can protect yourself from such cyberattacks.

The workload of this course is equivalent to 2 ECTS credits.

Course characteristics:

Language: English
Starting from: February 26, 2018
Course end: April 9, 2018
Duration: 6 weeks (3-6 hours per week)
Target group: Anyone who uses the Internet
Course requirements: none

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Use the hashtag #intsec2018 to join and contribute to social media conversations about this course.

Additional video lecturing material can be found at www.tele-task.de .

Attention: This course is currently in self-study mode, in which you do not have access to graded assignments/exams. Therefore, we can only issue you a certificate of participation.

Syllabus

Week 1: We will explain the basic terms vulnerability, attack, and incident in the first week. Furthermore, we will elaborate on attackers, their motives and their origins.
Week 2: In week 2, we will explain the idea and the concept of digital Identities and passwords. We will discuss the digital footprint, the feasibility to (easily) crack passwords and guidelines to chose a secure password.
Week 3: In this week we will discuss several issues about malware. We will cover different types, such as, viruses, worms, and trojans, talk about botnets and mention some countermeasures.
Week 4: In week 4, we will talk about dangers and risks that arise through the usage of open routes in the Internet. Therefore, we will discuss how attacks can capture messages and eavesdrop or even manipulate and compromise connections. Furthermore, some security mechanisms for those open communication channels, such as firewalls and encryption are illustrated.
Week 5: In the 5th week, we will take a closer look at the general topic encryption. Therefore, we explain different cryptographic algorithms and how they can be used for various purposes.
Week 6: In this week we will talk about several topics related to data privacy and private sphere in the digital world. Starting at the Internet as one big eco-system we will also cover privacy in the context of smartphones and wearables, the Internet-of-things or cloud computing, for example.
Final Exam: Show what you have learned during the course by taking the final exam and qualify for a certificate.
I like, I wish: Here you can give us feedback for the course and propose changes.