Welcome to Cybersecurity Basics

You Are a Target

This is not meant to scare you. It is a fact: every person with an online presence is a target. Not because someone is specifically after you, but because attacks are automated. Bots scan millions of accounts looking for weak passwords. Phishing emails go to millions of inboxes hoping someone clicks. Your personal information has probably already been exposed in a data breach.

The good news: defending yourself is not complicated. The basics stop nearly all common attacks.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Create and manage strong, unique passwords for every account
2. Spot phishing emails, fake websites, and social engineering attempts
3. Secure your phone, laptop, and other devices against common threats
4. Stay safe on public Wi-Fi and understand network-level risks
5. Control your online privacy and limit what companies know about you

What to Expect

This course has 8 lessons, each covering a specific area of personal cybersecurity. You can complete it in one sitting or take a lesson per day. Every lesson includes practical exercises you can implement immediately.

The Threat Landscape for Regular People

You do not face the same threats as a corporation or government agency. Your risks are different and mostly preventable:

Notice: the two most common threats, credential stuffing and phishing, are preventable with basic knowledge. That is what this course teaches.

Why Most People Are Vulnerable

Three habits create almost all personal security risk:

1. Password reuse Using the same password across multiple sites means one breach exposes all your accounts. When LinkedIn gets hacked, attackers try those passwords on your email, bank, and social media.

2. Clicking without checking Phishing works because people act on urgency without verifying. “Your account has been compromised! Click here immediately!” triggers panic and bypasses judgment.

3. Ignoring updates Software updates fix security vulnerabilities. Delaying them leaves known holes for attackers to exploit. That “Update Later” button is a security risk.

The Security Foundation

This course builds your security in layers:

PASSWORDS → PHISHING AWARENESS → DEVICE SECURITY → NETWORK SAFETY → PRIVACY
    ↓              ↓                    ↓                ↓              ↓
  Layer 1       Layer 2              Layer 3          Layer 4        Layer 5
  Strongest     Prevents             Protects         Secures        Controls
  single        most common          your             connections    your data
  defense       attack               hardware                        exposure

Each layer reinforces the others. Together, they create a defense that stops virtually all common attacks against individuals.

Your First Quick Win

Do this right now. It takes 60 seconds and immediately improves your security:

1. Open your email app
2. Search for “password reset” or “verify your account”
3. Look at the sender addresses. Are any from domains that look suspicious? (Like “amaz0n-security.com” instead of “amazon.com”?)
4. Do not click any links in those emails

You just did your first phishing awareness check. Many people have phishing emails sitting in their inbox right now without knowing it.

Key Takeaways

• Most successful attacks exploit simple mistakes: weak passwords, reused credentials, and clicking phishing links
• You do not need to be a tech expert to protect yourself; the basics prevent over 80% of common threats
• Security is built in layers: passwords, phishing awareness, device protection, network safety, and privacy
• A password manager with unique passwords is the single most impactful security improvement you can make

Up Next

In Lesson 2: Password Security and Management, we will fix the most common vulnerability: passwords. You will set up a password manager and never worry about remembering passwords again.