Cyber Security Courses with Certifications

Cyberattacks pose a global threat to organizations and individuals, making cybersecurity a crucial field. A strong cybersecurity system protects against unauthorized access and malicious attacks. If you are interested in learning how to safeguard digital assets, enrolling in cyber security courses can help build essential skills.

Cybersecurity secures web-connected systems like servers, computers, and networks from cyber threats. It is widely used in businesses, financial institutions, and mobile computing. For those looking to start a career in this field, online cyber security courses offer a flexible way to gain knowledge and hands-on experience.

To understand basic cybersecurity, we can break it down into two parts—cyber, which involves data, networks, and technology, and security, which focuses on protecting them from threats. Many best cyber security courses cover both aspects, ensuring learners gain expertise in preventing cyberattacks.

As the demand for skilled professionals rises, earning cyber security certifications can boost career prospects. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced professional, investing in cyber security training can provide valuable expertise.

Cyber Security tools include various apps and solutions capable of mitigating risks and safeguarding sensitive information against cyber threats.

List of extensively used basic cyber security tools:

• Wireshark
• Nmap
• Web security
• Metasploit
• Ncat
• Aircrack-ng
• Entersoft Insights
• Nikto
• Cain and Abel
• Kali Linux
• John the Ripper
• Forcepoint
• PAROS proxy
• NMAP
• Truecrypt
• LifeLock
• Bitdefender
• TOR
• Malwarebytes
• Mimecast
• VIPRE
• SiteLock

A massive number of internet threats exist in cyberspace. Cyber threats like Malware, Viruses, Trojans, Scareware, Worms, Ransomware, etc., always intend to disrupt the sensitive information of individuals and organisations.

All organisations should know the amount of risk involved in each step in the cyber world. Hence, organisations must know the essential tools and methods to protect against cyber security challenges due to cyberattacks. Most organisations now include a dedicated team for handling cyberattacks.

Various tools are now available to defend network security and are implemented with the latest cyber security technology.

Let’s discuss the details of the critical cyber security tools and how to use them:

1. Firewalls

• Firewalls act as a security barrier between an organization’s internal network and external threats. 
• They filter incoming and outgoing data to prevent malicious attacks. 
• Learning how to configure and manage firewalls is a key part of many online cyber security courses, helping professionals secure critical systems effectively.

2. Antivirus Software

• Antivirus software detects and removes malware, spyware, and ransomware from IT systems. Regular updates ensure protection against evolving threats. 
• Many best cyber security courses include training on antivirus management, equipping learners with skills to protect personal and business networks.

3. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

• PKI ensures secure data transmission over the internet using encryption. It plays a key role in secure transactions and online communication. 
• Professionals seeking to master encryption and authentication methods often pursue cyber security certifications to enhance their credentials.

4. Penetration Testing

• Penetration testing simulates cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities in security systems. Ethical hackers use this tool to strengthen security measures. 
• Those interested in ethical hacking can enroll in cyber security training to learn practical techniques for conducting penetration tests.

5. Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

• MDR uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect and respond to cyber threats in real-time. 
• Organizations rely on MDR to prevent cyberattacks efficiently. Many cyber security courses online cover MDR solutions, providing learners with the latest security insights.

Understanding these tools is essential for cybersecurity professionals. If you’re considering a career in this field, researching cyber security course fees and choosing the right program can help you gain the necessary expertise to protect organizations from cyber threats.

It is essential to learn cyber security, but this learning is incomplete without understanding cyberattacks. The need for cyber security is perceived when cyberattacks begin stealing sensitive information of individuals or organisations.

A cyber attack is any effort to obtain illegal access to a computer, computer network, or computing system. The intention is to destroy, damage, or manipulate the computer system. Alternatively, the intention can be to modify, delete, block, steal or manipulate the data stored in the systems.

Those individuals or groups who undertake cyber security attacks are known as cyber criminals. Usually, they are referred to as hackers, malicious actors, actors, and hackers. Cybercriminals can be individuals who implement their computer proficiency to perform malicious attacks. In some other cases, cybercriminals can be those working with other malicious actors in a criminal association to detect vulnerabilities or issues in computer systems. These vulnerabilities can be exploited for personal financial gain.

Cyber security attacks can arise from government-endorsed troops of computer experts. They are known as nation-state attackers.

Reasons behind the occurrence of cyber attacks:

Cyber attacks can have different objectives like

1. Financial gain:

Most cyberattacks (specifically those against commercial bodies) intend to have financial gain. These cyberattacks usually target to steal sensitive data like employees’ personal information or customers’ credit card numbers.

Cybercriminals access goods or money using the victims' sensitive cyber security information. The sensitive information can be property information or critical corporate data. By spying on valuable data of individuals or corporates, cyberattacks deceive them and ask for money.

2. Revenge:

Malicious actors can undertake cyberattacks especially to spread confusion, chaos, dissatisfaction, or mistrust. They usually undertake these actions to obtain revenge for acts implemented against them.

Cybercriminals can aim to publicly humiliate the attacked parties or to disrupt the organisations' status. These attacks in information security are usually targeted at government entities. However, they can also target nonprofit organisations or commercial bodies. Nation-state attackers can be responsible for cyberattacks meant to take revenge.

3. Cyberwarfare:

Not only malicious actors but even Governments across the world are involved in undertaking cyber attacks. Many national governments are suspected or acknowledged for designing and performing attacks against other nations. The reasons can be continuing economic, political, and social clashes. They are known as cyberwarfare and they are one of the key reasons behind attacks on information security.

Types of Cyber Attacks:

1. System-based attacks:

They intend to compromise a computer's security or network. A few of the prevalent system-based attacks are Viruses, Trojan horns, Worm, Backdoors, and Bots.

2. Web-based attacks:

They take place on a website or web app. Few of the prevalent web-based attacks are:

• DNS Spoofing
• Injection attacks
• Session Hijacking
• Denial of Service
• Brute force
• Phishing
• Man in the middle attacks
• Dictionary attacks
• Protocol attacks
• File Inclusion attacks
• Application layer attacks
• URL Interpretation
  
  How to Avoid a Cyber Attack?
  Here are the best practices to avoid a cyber attack:

• The use of software (for example –antivirus software) to safeguard the system against malware. It adds another layer of security against cyberattacks.
• Executing perimeter defenses like firewalls to block attack attempts and also block access to acknowledged malicious domains.
• Deploying proper security configurations, user access controls, and password policies.
• Preparing incident response plans to resolve a breach.
• The use of a patch management program to work on the acknowledged software vulnerabilities which can be misused by hackers.
• Teaching individual users about attack circumstances and how they can protect the network security of an organisation.
• The use of a monitoring and detection program to recognize and alert mistrustful activity.

In cybersecurity, a threat is a malicious activity an individual or institute undertakes. The intention behind the same is to corrupt or steal data, obtain access to a network, or disturb digital operations. All cyber threats aim to arouse vulnerability in cyber security

The cyber community outlines the following cyber security threats that create vulnerability in cyber security:

1. Malware:

Malware is malicious software and is popular as the most widespread cyber-attacking tool. It is the most prevalent type of cyber attack wherein hackers or cyber criminals use malicious software to damage or interrupt a genuine user's system. Usually, malware spreads through an illicit email attachment or a download link that appears legitimate but actually not. Malware intends to illegally earn money or could have a political intention.

The significant types of malware are:

• Virus
• Trojans
• Spyware
• Ransomware
• Adware
• Botnets
• Worms

2. Phishing:

In phishing, people receive emails from a cybercriminal that appear to be coming from a legitimate company (like eBay, PayPal, financial institutions, friends, co-workers, etc.) asking for sensitive information like personal data or credit card details. Subsequently, it deceives them for monetary gain.

Phishing in cyber security implies that cybercriminals contact a target or targets through phone or email or text message through a link. This kind of link persuades them to click and ultimately deceives them. The link redirects them to deceitful websites to submit sensitive data like personal information, credit card and banking information, usernames, passwords, and social security numbers. Clicking on the link instals malware on the target devices too. As a result, hackers can remotely control devices.

3. SQL Injection:

In this form of cyberattack, cybercriminals abuse vulnerability in computer-controlled applications. They insert malicious code in a database through a malicious SQL statement. So, they compromise cyber security information to steal or access sensitive information and control the database.

Once the cyberattack accomplishes, the malicious individual can observe, modify, or delete private details of customers, sensitive company data, or user lists stored in the SQL database. The need for cyber security is extremely realised at this point when cybercriminals are accessing sensitive data.

4. Denial-of-service attack:

In this category of cyber security threat, a cybercriminal disallows a computer to fulfil authentic requests. It destroys the targeted servers, networks, and services with traffic and makes the system unstable. Moreover, it disallows an organisation to manage its vital functions.

The requests originate from numerous IP addresses making the system unstable. Furthermore, it slows down the network speed, makes them temporarily offline, overloads their servers, and stops an organisation from performing its key functions.

5. Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack:

In this type of cyber threat, a cybercriminal interrupts data transfer or conversation between two parties for robbing the data. When cybercriminals come in between the two parties, they appear like honest participants. So, they can gain sensitive information and return various responses.

The key objective of a MITM attack is to obtain access to your organisation or customer data. This cyber threat compromises cyber security measures, for example, a cybercriminal can interrupt data flowing between the network and the target device on an insecure Wi-Fi network.

6. Advanced Persistent Threats (APT):

An APT occurs when a malicious individual or organisation obtains illegal access to a network or system and stays unnoticed for an extended period.

7. Brute Force:

This cryptographic hack implements a trial-and-error method to estimate all possible combinations until precise information is discovered. Typically, cybercriminals use this form of cyber security threat to gain personal information regarding encryption keys, login credentials, targeted passwords, and Personal Identification Numbers (PINS).

8. Domain Name System (DNS) attack:

In DNS attacks, cybercriminals use the faults in the DNS (Domain Name System) to readdress site users to malicious sites. After redirecting them, cybercriminals steal data from the affected computers. The DNS system is a vital component of the Internet infrastructure because a DNS attack is a severe cybersecurity threat.

The common sources of cyber security threats are -

• Hackers
• Terrorist Groups
• Criminal Groups
• Hacktivists
• Corporate Spies
• Malicious Insiders