Free Online Cyber Security Courses

A free cyber security course typically starts with the vocabulary: threats, vulnerabilities and risk, the main categories of attack, and the controls that defend against them. Fundamentals courses cover networks and operating systems from a security point of view, identity and access, cryptography basics and incident response. More advanced courses specialise in security operations, cloud security, ethical hacking or governance and compliance. Company training is prominent. Technology vendors publish free security courses in their own platforms with free, verifiable badges and credentials, while their proctored certification exams cost money.

Universities offer security courses on edX that are usually free to audit, with lectures open and graded work and the certificate paid, and access may lapse after the course length. Non-profit platforms and professional associations offer self-paced introductions free in full, sometimes with a free certificate. When reading a syllabus, look for hands-on labs in a safe environment, for the job role the course is aimed at, and for whether it is vendor-specific or general. Cyber security suits IT staff moving toward security roles, developers who want to write safer code, managers responsible for risk, and career changers who accept that entry-level security roles usually require prior IT experience. The IT and computer science pages on this site cover the foundations that security courses assume, and the certifications hub lists the security credentials that are free to earn.