Cyber security is a hot topic these days. Everyone knows someone who's been hacked on social media and nearly everyone has had their information compromised by security breaches at credit card or reporting companies, and others. It's also a matter of great concern for business and government. In fact, cyber security is one of the top paying, most in-demand fields. However, there are more jobs than candidates right now. You can become a member of the cyber security workforce by delving into a free, online course. Whether you only want to get the basics with which to protect yourself or if you are eager to become an ethical hacker, you can start learning today, online, for free.
First off, MOOC is an acronym that translates to massive open online course. These courses are free and available to anyone with the motivation to learn new skills. There are courses available across a wide range of topics. You can study a range of programming languages, operating systems such as Linux, software packages, and even cyber security.
Cyber security MOOCs are a hot topic, as you might imagine. They enable you to study current topics in computer security via a flexible, online platform. Often, students can interact with others in the course, and the instructor as well. This interactivity yields a great collaborative learning environment that is beneficial to all.
Not every MOOC is free, however. There are some outlets that do charge for their courses, but you can often find a good deal and pay under $20 for a course that is thorough and which you can refer back to for as long as you need. These courses are often updated, as well, so your initial investment will pay off more over time.
MOOCs differ from other online courses in that you can sign up for any course you want at any time you want. Most require neither lab fees nor textbooks. Certain outside materials may be helpful, but many courses offer free access to pdfs or even software for you to use during the class. Courses might recommend certain texts that the course designer has found useful, but you are not bound to using those books.
Unlike standard online courses, there is no set class size. There may be hundreds of students in the course at any one time. However, they might not all be active all the time. Some may even sign up for a MOOC and never become active at all. On the other hand, some MOOC students are very engaged and can collaborate with you in learning about cyber security.
Finally, many MOOCs are offered for free. You might have the option of purchasing a certificate of completion, if you desire, but otherwise you can audit these MOOCs with no charge.
With so many options out there, it's hard to know which MOOCs are worth your time. While the free MOOCs don't present much of a financial risk, you don't want to pay money, even $20, for a course that won't help you become a cyber security professional. The best option is to find MOOCs through a college, university, or even an industry association.
When your MOOC is offered by an institution, you can be assured that the instructors and the courses have been approved by computer science or cyber security experts. These courses might lead to a certificate of some sort. Certificates always look great on a resume but note that some require ongoing learning to keep them current.
There are other MOOCs that don't have such affiliations. You can still learn a lot through these platforms, but it's important to do some research prior to investing your time or money. Learn what you can about the instructor. If the courses are offered by means of videos, be sure to see a few samples. Sometimes the sound or video quality is not agreeable, and sometimes an instructor's accent or other vocal characteristics are difficult to understand. Finally, review the course syllabus to see that it covers the topics you need to succeed.
MOOCs work by offering training courses online to a wide range of students. They seldom require any previous coursework or degrees and are often free or at least very affordable. They are often designed as asynchronous courses that you can start anytime. The material comes in a variety of forms, but many platforms deliver pre-recorded video lectures or other prepared material that you study in anticipation of an exam, or to add to your body of knowledge. Since anyone from any corner of the world can sign up, you may be able to interact with a wide range of students from varied backgrounds. This facilitates collaborative learning on a scale that has never been so easily accessible before.
Are MOOCs All Free?
Not all MOOCs are free, but most are relatively affordable. You are most likely to pay for courses or programs that result in a certificate after completion. Some programs offer courses for a reduced cost and then charge an extra fee for an optional certificate. These certificates can come from colleges, universities, or industry associations. However, sometimes the platform itself offers the certificate. If you are asked to pay a fee and are unfamiliar with the platform, be sure to do diligent research.
What Are MOOC Completion Rates?
It's easy to start and never complete a MOOC. In fact, only 5% of MOOC students complete their courses. However, the upside of this is that the courses are usually very inexpensive, and often free. Further, if you are able to discipline yourself to completing a MOOC, you are suddenly in an elite community of MOOC-finishers. If you can show a potential employer that you've completed multiple cyber security MOOCs, they are bound to be impressed by your follow-through if nothing else. After all, employers love seeing self-motivated, engaged employees.
MOOCs are an excellent choice if you are a senior in high school or anyone interested in higher education. If you're unsure of what to major in, MOOCs offer a window into a wide range of fields. They offer an opportunity to dabble in subjects you think you'd like to pursue, allowing you to decide if you like the subject matter before you start paying a significant amount for your education. There's no need to waste valuable money and time on college courses that aren’t a good fit for you.
MOOCs can also be a great addition or supplement to your learning. For instance, if you are majoring in computer science, but your school doesn't offer much in the way of cyber security coursework, you can fill in that gap in your skillset on your own time. You might also take a MOOC as a way to get a jump on your next term's courses. For instance, you could take a course on penetration testing while on winter break and then have an edge when your next cyber security course starts in January.
Since the advent of MOOCs, the question has been where these courses would be housed and how they'd be administered. Some schools offer MOOCs through their own platforms, but others use third party services to distribute them. Several universities including UC Berkeley, MIT, and Harvard, are offering MOOCs through edX. Coursera is another platform that serves as a common conduit for independent institutions.
Below you’ll find some others:
ASU – Earned Admission
Link: https://gfa.asu.edu/
This program is for prospective students who may not yet have the required GPA or other credentials to enter ASU as a full student. Through Earned Admission, students can take college courses and prove that they are up to the challenges that college offers.
MIT OpenCourseware
Link: https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
MIT was one of the first institutions to begin offering course materials online for free. Their courses are now available through their proprietary platform, OpenCourseware, and you can also take MIT courses through edX.
Stanford University
Link: https://computersecurity.stanford.edu/free-online-videos
This lauded California institution offers free cyber security videos to anyone interested in the subject. Their free offerings also currently include insights into cryptocurrency and other issues in computer science. If you are interested in the field or need to get up to speed for a company meeting, this is a great place to get started. Stanford also offers a wide range of interesting MOOCs through Coursera.
Kennesaw State University
Link: https://mooc.kennesaw.edu/courses/cybersecurity.ph
KSU offers its students and faculty the exciting opportunity to become acquainted with cyber security. This MOOC is free but only if you have a NetID from the university. Though the materials are offered for free, you can opt to pay an additional $49 for a certificate of completion.
EdX
Link: https://www.edx.org/
This is a repository for many institutions to share their MOOC offerings. EdX provides a platform for schools such as UC Berkeley, Harvard, Davidson College, McGill University, and the University of Chicago. Currently you will find cyber security courses offered from University of Washington, Microsoft, and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Many companies want their employees to take up cyber security courses so that they can protect themselves from cyber attacks. A majority of the population today has access to the internet. So if you are not already doing it, you should look at getting on your computer and learning more about how to protect yourself.
The main goal for many companies is to prevent an actual cyber attack or at least try to reduce the damage that it could do. But with the internet, there is no telling when a virus could cause havoc. If you are using the internet and you have sensitive information in any form, then you need to know how to protect it. You can't wait until the company that you work for sends an email with sensitive information to their employees or even a simple file folder.
The most important thing for any company to do is to protect their financial data. But they also need to know how to protect their data on their network, which can be done by taking courses online. These courses are available through many colleges that offer Cybersecurity for Free Online courses. These are taught by professionals who specialize in the subject. You can go on the course once a week or even once a month and learn more about it.
Some of these courses can be very expensive because of the material they use. But they will help you learn how to protect your data better and make it easier for you to recover it when it happens. Also, when you get a better understanding of what the dangers are and how they can be minimized, you will have a better idea of whether you need to get a course on this type of topic for your company.
Most of these free courses online are designed to help you prepare for the jobs you will have once you begin working in the field. There are a few basic classes that you need to have before you can begin work. However, once you have learned the basics and get some experience under your belt, then you can go on to learning more about the specific topics covered. This will allow you to become more effective and efficient at your job and even help you improve it.
The most important step is to set a budget. This will keep you from spending too much on your lessons because you can't afford to waste time when you aren't using them. This is just something that you have to do to stay on top of when taking courses online.
Cybersecurity for Free Online courses are offered both in classroom courses and through the internet. When taking them online, you can read your material and practice and you can do some of the exercises when you are not at home.
Another thing to remember is that you will need to download the course materials before you go to class. In fact, it is best if you print them because if something goes wrong during your class session, then you can download the course material right away and not have to waste your valuable time trying to figure it out. By using online classes, you won't have to bring your laptop with you because everything will be done for you.
The best thing about these Cybersecurity for Free Online courses is that you can take them in your spare time. If you have a day off or an evening when you want to relax, then you can get all of your classwork done while you enjoy yourself. This means you can continue with your career and get your financial obligations taken care of while you spend your time studying.
Cybersecurity for Free Courses Online includes everything you need to know about protecting the information that you store online. Whether you want to protect personal information from identity theft or you want to prevent unauthorized access to your company's computer system, then you should get a good course on the topic.
When looking for a course, you want one that can be found easily online. Look for something that has been approved by the Better Business Bureau and has been tested over time so you know that you won't be wasting your time or money.
know-how of programs and also distinct opportunity concepts) to complete the tasks. When we could find them, we have really taken down requirements at the end of each program recap. Yes. For a great deal of colleges, MOOCs are basically teaser training courses, albeit introduction training courses with wonderful instructors as well as likewise strong content. Since they're free and also self-directed, you will certainly not obtain a college credit report for finishing them.
Privacy applications sustaining personal credentials in addition to exclusive information source look-up The training course finished with an exploration of advanced subjects such as multi-party estimation as well as elliptic shape cryptography. Examinations, composed study, programs labs in addition to a required last exam.
Option and additionally application of controls Structure and also building and construction of security strategies Understanding as well as likewise application of regulative demands Comprehending and likewise application of company restraints Interaction of risk to non-information assurance professionals Recognition and also remediation of brand-new threats Evaluation and efficiency of event reaction Interaction of Information Assurance concepts as well as additionally suggestions You'll be able to analyze the nature of protection threat, contrast and also make use of a variety of models for safety and security and also safety threat assessment, advertise a threat analysis process in addition to incorporate this analysis right into an IT security strategy.
Sans Cyber Aces Online
Link: https://www.cyberaces.org/
SANS goal is to increase the number of well-trained cyber security professionals in the marketplace. They see the need for every enterprise to button-up its approach to security, both for its own good and that of the wider population. The Cyber Aces program offers courses for free, organizes cyber security events, and can even help you find a job.
Heimdal Security
Link: https://cybersecuritycourse.co/
The good people at Heimdal offer a free, 5-week course that will help you secure your personal online world. Their free course is delivered in 20 lessons that are delivered via email every two days. It teaches you how to protect yourself, your family, and your colleagues from cyber-attacks, including viruses and malware.
NICCS
Link: https://niccs.us-cert.gov/training
The National Initiative for CyberSecurity Careers and Studies offers more than three thousand courses designed to help build a workforce of cyber security experts. Since everyone is connected via the Internet, it is of vital importance that every corner of the network be secured by a trained professional. Through the Federal Virtual Training Environment (FedVTE), you can find over 800 hours’ worth of free cyber security training.
US Department of Homeland Security
Link: https://ics-cert-training.inl.gov/learn
If you want to learn about cyber security, who better to teach you than the Department of Homeland Security? Their Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) operates a Virtual Learning Portal (VLP) that offers free instruction on cyber security. Currently, you can take 11 courses for free on their e-learning platform.
Contact Details:
Website:
https://cyberdegreesedu.org/resources/free-online-cyber-security-courses/
Google Page: https://sites.google.com/view/cyberdegreeseducation/resources/free-online-cyber-security-courses
Google Folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1X_KJfyYKKepM8nZPQqTf_pyVr4xBdFVP?usp=sharing
YouTube: https://mgyb.co/s/I3xwo
Blogger: https://mgyb.co/s/Ag0Sh
Wordpress: https://mgyb.co/s/bNL1y
Gravatar: https://mgyb.co/s/KlOSj
Tumblr: https://mgyb.co/s/3hhT0
Twitter: https://mgyb.co/s/99jQ7
Diigo (profile URL): https://mgyb.co/s/XrKEK
(bookmark library URL): https://mgyb.co/s/0Xwc9
Evernote: https://mgyb.co/s/6qeDa
Getpocket: https://mgyb.co/s/CJUVX
GDrive: https://mgyb.co/s/3vDk7
AboutMe: https://mgyb.co/s/QBnR9
Instapaper: https://mgyb.co/s/EwHvP
Disqus: https://mgyb.co/s/fjNxj
Weebly: https://mgyb.co/s/fnxBI
FlipBoard: https://mgyb.co/s/Vl44m
Reddit: https://mgyb.co/s/bfnhV
Pearl Trees: https://mgyb.co/s/UW4Gf
Quora: https://mgyb.co/s/hBUhW
Trello: https://mgyb.co/s/XrW0u
Pinterest: https://mgyb.co/s/D8sbx
Scoop.it: https://mgyb.co/s/IoQHc
Medium: https://mgyb.co/s/MGEt9
followus.com: https://mgyb.co/s/gOp5q
MagCloud: https://mgyb.co/s/zRfZk
Amazon: https://mgyb.co/s/gfyZU
Webnode: https://mgyb.co/s/g7suN
Start.me: https://mgyb.co/s/zWsrw
Visual.ly: https://mgyb.co/s/QavQP
Brand Yourself: https://mgyb.co/s/zF7ms
Intense Debate: https://mgyb.co/s/zBxmB
Amazon 3: https://mgyb.co/s/wRnoY
Google Site: https://mgyb.co/s/NvQRr
Google Page: https://mgyb.co/s/5Ymep