A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity (Coursera)

A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity (Coursera)

Cybersecurity affects everyone, including in the delivery of basic products and services. If you or your organization want to better understand how to address your cybersecurity, this is the course for you and your colleagues to take -- from seasoned professionals to your non-technical colleagues.

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

Your instructor, Dr. Charles Harry, has served on the front lines with the NSA (National Security Agency) and as an expert advising corporate and institutional leaders on managing cybersecurity risk. And he brings a rare and engaging perspective to help you learn cybersecurity from the ground up.
A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity provides a framework for understanding the interdependency of private and public entities and the complex systems affecting you and your organization, toward improving critical cybersecurity infrastructure impacting your security. While not its prerequisite, it builds on Dr. Harry’s first course, Cybersecurity for Everyone, with over 100,000 learners globally and growing, which AI Time Journal called “next-level” and highlighted as the top university cybersecurity offering online this year. The course lays the groundwork to understand and explore the key issues facing leaders and policy makers attempting to manage the problem of cybersecurity, from its technical foundations to the domestic and international policy considerations surrounding governance, privacy, and risk management, to applications for achieving the goals of an enterprise, an institution, or a nation. This course is designed for students with some or no background in information technology, whether a novice or active in the cybersecurity field (engineers and computer scientists will learn the broader context and business aspects of cybersecurity), and will provide the principles to understand the current debates shaping a rapidly evolving security landscape.

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Defining a Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity
WEEK 2: Private Sector Context - Part 1
WEEK 3: Private Sector Context - Part 2
WEEK 4: Public Sector Context: Critical Infrastructure and National Response
WEEK 5: Protecting National Critical Functions
WEEK 6: From Device to National Critical Function: Identifying Strategic Consequence

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

Related Courses

Cybersecurity Roles, Processes & Operating System Security (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Cybersecurity Roles, Processes & Operating System Security (Coursera)

This course gives you the background needed to understand basic Cybersecurity around people. process and technology. You will learn: Understand the key cybersecurity roles within an Organization; List key cybersecurity processes and an example of each process; Describe the architecture, file systems, and basic commands for multiple operating systems including Windows, Mac/OS, Linux and Mobile; Understand the concept of Virtualization as it relates to cybersecurity

Jun 29th 2026
4 Weeks
Cryptography I (Coursera) Coursera
Stanford University

Cryptography I (Coursera)

Cryptography is an indispensable tool for protecting information in computer systems. In this course you will learn the inner workings of cryptographic systems and how to correctly use them in real-world applications. The course begins with a detailed discussion of how two parties who have a shared secret key can communicate securely when a powerful adversary eavesdrops and tampers with traffic.

Jun 29th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Security & Safety Challenges in a Globalized World (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

Security & Safety Challenges in a Globalized World (Coursera)

Security and safety challenges rank among the most pressing issues of modern times. Challenges such as, cyber-crime, terrorism, and environmental disasters impact the lives of millions across the globe. These issues also rank high on the agenda of politicians, international organizations and businesses. They also feature prominently in the public conscience and in governmental policies.

Jun 29th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics (Coursera)

This course gives you the background needed to gain Cybersecurity skills as part of the Cybersecurity Security Analyst Professional Certificate program. You will learn about the different phases of penetration testing, how to gather data for your penetration test and popular penetration testing tools. Furthermore, you will learn the phases of an incident response, important documentation to collect, and the components of an incident response policy and team. Finally, you will learn key steps in the forensic process and important data to collect.

Jun 29th 2026
4 Weeks
IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts (Coursera) Coursera
Google

IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts (Coursera)

This course covers a wide variety of IT security concepts, tools, and best practices. It introduces threats and attacks and the many ways they can show up. We’ll give you some background of encryption algorithms and how they’re used to safeguard data. Then, we’ll dive into the three As of information security: authentication, authorization, and accounting. We’ll also cover network security solutions, ranging from firewalls to Wifi encryption options. The course is rounded out by putting all these elements together into a multi-layered, in-depth security architecture, followed by recommendations on how to integrate a culture of security into your organization or team.

Jun 29th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Homeland Security & Cybersecurity Connection - It's Not About the Terrorists (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado System

Homeland Security & Cybersecurity Connection - It's Not About the Terrorists (Coursera)

Welcome to Course 1 in CS4950, Homeland Security and Cybersecruity. In this course we examine the origins of homeland security and its co0nnection with cybersecurity. Homeland security is about safeguarding the United States from domestic catastrophic destruction. Catastrophic destruction comes in two forms: natural and manmade. For most of history the man-made variety came in the form of warfare and required the combined resources of a nation state. All that changed March 20th, 1995. On that date, members of a quasi-religious cult in Japan attacked the Tokyo subway system using Sarin gas. It was the first deployment of a weapon of mass destruction my a non-state actor.

Jun 29th 2026
4 Weeks
Road to the CISO – Culminating Project Course (Coursera) Coursera
University System of Georgia

Road to the CISO – Culminating Project Course (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.

Jun 29th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Identifying Security Vulnerabilities (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Davis

Identifying Security Vulnerabilities (Coursera)

This course will help you build a foundation of some of the fundamental concepts in secure programming. We will learn about the concepts of threat modeling and cryptography and you'll be able to start to create threat models, and think critically about the threat models created by other people. We'll learn the basics of applying cryptography, such as encryption and secure hashing. We'll learn how attackers can exploit application vulnerabilities through the improper handling user-controlled data. We'll gain a fundamental understanding of injection problems in web applications, including the three most common types of injection problems: SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and command injection.

Jun 29th 2026
4 Weeks
Data Privacy Fundamentals (Coursera) Coursera
Northeastern University

Data Privacy Fundamentals (Coursera)

This course is designed to introduce data privacy to a wide audience and help each participant see how data privacy has evolved as a compelling concern to public and private organizations as well as individuals. In this course, you will hear from legal and technical experts and practitioners who encounter data privacy issues daily.

Jul 1st 2026
3 Weeks
Industrial IoT Markets and Security (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Industrial IoT Markets and Security (Coursera)

This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5385, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Developing tomorrow's industrial infrastructure is a significant challenge. This course goes beyond the hype of consumer IoT to emphasize a much greater space for potential embedded system applications and growth: The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), also known as Industry 4.0. Cisco’s CEO stated: “IoT overall is a $19 Trillion market. IIoT is a significant subset including digital oilfield, advanced manufacturing, power grid automation, and smart cities”.

Jun 29th 2026
5-12 Weeks