CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity
- Free
- Certificate included
- Course certificate
- Beginner
- 5 weeks
CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity is written for technical and non-technical learners alike. It covers how to secure accounts, data, systems and software against current threats and how to evaluate future ones, how to protect your own privacy, and how to think about security as a trade-off: risks and rewards for an attacker, costs and benefits for you, and usability for everyone. Lectures present both high-level and low-level examples of threats, and the assignments are inspired by real-world events. The material is arranged as five weeks, each with a lecture and an assignment, followed by a final project.
The course is free through Harvard's OpenCourseWare, and a free edX account is needed to submit assignments for feedback. Scoring at least 70% on every problem and the final project earns a free CS50 Certificate; a verified certificate can be obtained through edX for a fee. Harvard's course listing rates the course introductory and gives a time commitment of 2 to 6 hours per week.
What you’ll learn
- Secure accounts, data, systems and software against common threats
- Recognise and evaluate new threats at home and at work
- Protect your own privacy online
- Weigh security as a trade-off between risk, cost and usability
- Explain both high-level and low-level examples of attacks
Who it’s for
Anyone who wants to protect their own accounts and data, or understand security decisions at work, without needing to program.
Source: Harvard Online (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
More free Harvard courses
Every Harvard course we have verified, with cost and certificate terms compared.
Cyber SecurityAll free cyber security courses
Free and free-to-audit cyber security courses from every provider, ranked.