Foundations of Cybersecurity (Coursera)

Offered by Google,
Foundations of Cybersecurity (Coursera)

This is the first course in the Google Cybersecurity Certificate. These courses will equip you with the skills you need to prepare for an entry-level cybersecurity job. In this course, you will be introduced to the world of cybersecurity through an interactive curriculum developed by Google. You will identify significant events that led to the development of the cybersecurity field, explain the importance of cybersecurity in today's business operations, and explore the job responsibilities and skills of an entry-level cybersecurity analyst.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Google employees who currently work in cybersecurity will guide you through videos, provide hands-on activities and examples that simulate common cybersecurity tasks, and help you build your skills to prepare for jobs.
Learners who complete the eight courses in the Google Cybersecurity Certificate will be equipped to apply for entry-level cybersecurity roles. No previous experience is necessary.
By the end of this course, you will:

  • Identify how security attacks impact business operations.
  • Explore the job responsibilities and core skills of an entry-level cybersecurity analyst.
  • Recognize how past and present attacks on organizations led to the development of the cybersecurity field.
  • Learn the CISSP eight security domains.
  • Identify security domains, frameworks, and controls.
  • Explain security ethics.
  • Recognize common tools used by cybersecurity analysts.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Welcome to the exciting world of cybersecurity
Begin your journey into cybersecurity! You'll explore the cybersecurity field, and learn about the job responsibilities of cybersecurity professionals.

WEEK 2
The evolution of cybersecurity
You will explore how cybersecurity threats have appeared and evolved alongside the adoption of computers. You will also understand how past and present cyber attacks have influenced the development of the security field. In addition, you'll get an overview of the eight security domains.

WEEK 3
Protect against threats, risks, and vulnerabilities
You will learn about security frameworks and controls, which are used to mitigate organizational risk. You'll cover principles of the CIA triad and various National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) frameworks. In addition, you'll explore security ethics.

WEEK 4
Cybersecurity tools and programming languages
You’ll discover common tools used by cybersecurity analysts to identify and mitigate risk. You'll learn about security information and event management (SIEM) tools, network protocol analyzers, and programming languages such as Python and SQL.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Usable Security (Coursera) Coursera
University of Maryland, College Park

Usable Security (Coursera)

This course focuses on how to design and build secure systems with a human-centric focus. We will look at basic principles of human-computer interaction, and apply these insights to the design of secure systems with the goal of developing security measures that respect human performance and their goals within a system.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Security and Privacy in TOR Network (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado System

Security and Privacy in TOR Network (Coursera)

In this MOOC, we will learn about TOR basic concept and see how they protect the security and privacy of users and resist censorship. We will examine how TOR realize the anonymity and utilize its service by downloading and using Tor browser software. A recent attack on TOR’s application flow control called sniper attacks is analyzed.

Aug 3rd 2026
4 Weeks
Cybersecurity and Its Ten Domains (Coursera) Coursera
University System of Georgia

Cybersecurity and Its Ten Domains (Coursera)

This course is designed to introduce students, working professionals and the community to the exciting field of cybersecurity. Throughout the MOOC, participants will engage in community discourse and online interaction. Participants will gain knowledge and understanding of cybersecurity and its domains. They will engage with expertly produced videos, gain insight from industry experts, participate in knowledge assessments, practice assessing their environmental awareness, and gain access to materials that address governance and risk management, compliance, business continuity and disaster recovery, cryptography, software development security, access control, network security, security architecture, security operations, and physical and environmental security.

Aug 3rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Competencias digitales. Conceptos y herramientas básicas (Coursera) Coursera
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Competencias digitales. Conceptos y herramientas básicas (Coursera)

Los continuos cambios tecnológicos, sobre todo en aquellos aspectos vinculados a las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) hacen que las personas tengan la necesidad de actualizarse de forma continua para que sus conocimientos no queden obsoletos. En este contexto, para las empresas se convierte en algo imprescindible disponer de profesionales que tengan las competencias necesarias para ejercer con éxito las actividades que requieren en su lugar de trabajo.

Aug 3rd 2026
4 Weeks
Ethical Issues in Data Science (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Ethical Issues in Data Science (Coursera)

Computing applications involving large amounts of data – the domain of data science – impact the lives of most people in the U.S. and the world. These impacts include recommendations made to us by internet-based systems, information that is available about us online, techniques that are used for security and surveillance, data that is used in health care, and many more. In many cases, they are affected by techniques in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Aug 3rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Responsible AI - Principles and Ethical Considerations (Coursera) Coursera
Fractal Analytics

Responsible AI - Principles and Ethical Considerations (Coursera)

Welcome to "Responsible AI – Principles and Ethical Considerations"! Dive deep into the very essence of Responsible AI with us. Uncover the significance of key principles shaping technology's future. From ethical considerations to fairness, transparency, and accountability, we discuss these principles with real-world examples, putting them into the context of data science.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Cybersecurity in Healthcare (Hospitals & Care Centres) (Coursera) Coursera
Erasmus University Rotterdam

Cybersecurity in Healthcare (Hospitals & Care Centres) (Coursera)

The Cybersecurity in Healthcare MOOC was developed as part the SecureHospitals.eu project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Coordination Research and Innovation Action under Grant Agreement No. 826497. The course "Cybersecurity in Healthcare" has been developed to raise awareness and understanding the role of cybersecurity in healthcare (e.g., hospitals, care centres, clinics, other medical or social care institutions and service organisations) and the challenges that surround it.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Capstone: Autonomous Runway Detection for IoT (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Capstone: Autonomous Runway Detection for IoT (Coursera)

The students will develop a larger system using the learning outcomes from these courses, and the students will evaluate the developed system in a real-world programming environment. This course is a true engineering task in which the student must, not only implement the algorithm code, but also handle the interfaces between many different actors and hardware platforms.

Aug 10th 2026
3 Weeks
Implementing a Risk Management Framework (Coursera) Coursera
University System of Georgia

Implementing a Risk Management Framework (Coursera)

The ultimate destination for a security manager is the Chief Information Security Officer (or Chief Security Officer) a senior executive role responsible for all cybersecurity operations in the organization. But how do you get from entry-level IT or security employee to the CISO’s office and what do you need to know when you get there? This course examines the career path and requirements to be an effective CISO, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the position.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory and Practice (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory and Practice (Coursera)

Terrorism has arguably been one of the defining factors of our age. It frequently makes headlines, threatening or attacking governments, private business and ordinary citizens. And in many parts of the world, it has been one of the most important threats to peace, security and stability. But what does this exactly mean? What is the nature of this threat? Who or what is threatened, how, by whom and why? What can be done about it or how can we at least limit the impact of terrorism and make sure that terrorists do not make headlines and manage to scare us? These are just a handful of questions that will be addressed in this course that consists of three parts.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks