Data Protection vs. Data Security: What’s the Difference?
January 21, 2025
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Launch your career in cyber security. Master security principles and tools for securing your networks, systems, and data.
Instructor: Edward Chow
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This specialization in intended for IT professionals, computer programmers, managers, IT security professionals who like to move up ladder, who are seeking to develop network system security skills. Through four courses, we will cover the Design and Analyze Secure Networked Systems, Develop Secure Programs with Basic Cryptography and Crypto API, Hacking and Patching Web Applications, Perform Penetration Testing, and Secure Networked Systems with Firewall and IDS, which will prepare you to perform tasks as Cyber Security Engineer, IT Security Analyst, and Cyber Security Analyst.
The learning outcomes of this specialization include:
you should be able to create public/private keys, certificate requests, install/sign/verify them for web server and client authentication, secure emails, and code signing.
you should be able to write secure web apps with Crypto API to implement the confidentiality, integrity, and availability basic security services.
you should be able to hack web applications with vulnerabilities and patch them.
you should be able to apply penetration testing tool to exploit vulnerable systems.
you should be able to crack passwords given the hashes in password file using AWS P2 GPU.
you should be able to configure firewall and IDS for secure network systems
you should be able to specify effective security policies and implement efficient enforcement procedures by applying security design principles for securing network systems.
Applied Learning Project
With the learner's cloned instance from my AWS image, our Project 1a-d integrate the security principles and knowledge covered in first MOOC and apply them in real world tasks using state of art tools, such as gpg for signing and verifying documents/open source software packages, misc/CA scripts for performing CA certificate signing tasks, generate server/client certificates, and setup on apache web server for secure web access with mutual authentication. Project2a-b cover the use of OpenSSL for encrypting/decrypting data, and Diffi-Hellman key exchange. The related lectures cover the development of secure programs using Crypto API. Projects 3a-b cover hacking and patching with command injections and SQL injections. Project 3c cover cracking Linux passwords with hashcat using AWS P2 GPU instance. Project 4a-b cover the construction of DMZ firewall system with iptables to provide DNAT, masquerade services, filtering packets to secure serves in two AWS virtual private clouds.
In this MOOC, we will learn the basic cyber security concepts, how to identify vulnerabilities/threat in a network system. We will apply CIA basic security services in the triage of recent cyberattack incidents, such as OPM data breach. We will learn the risk management framework for analyzing the risks in a network system, and apply the basic security design principles to protect the data and secure computer systems. We will examine the trustworthiness of programs and data installed in our systems and show the proper way to verify their integrity and authenticity. We will apply principle of least privileges for controlling the shared access given to different groups of users and system processes. On Amazon Cloud instances, we will use GnuPG software to generate public/private key pair for signing/verifying documents and open source software, and for encrypting documents. We will learn how to publish software, the related signature and release key on web server and publish public key to PGP key server for others to retrieve. We will learn Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Linux utility to serve as a CA for an organization, learn how to sign certificate request for clients or servers in secure email and web applications.
In this MOOC, we will learn the basic concepts and principles of crytography, apply basic cryptoanalysis to decrypt messages encrypted with mono-alphabetic substitution cipher, and discuss the strongest encryption technique of the one-time-pad and related quantum key distribution systems. We will also learn the efficient symmetric key cryptography algorithms for encrypting data, discuss the DES and AES standards, study the criteria for selecting AES standard, present the block cipher operating modes and discuss how they can prevent and detect the block swapping attacks, and examine how to defend against replay attacks. We will learn the Diffie-Hellman Symmetric Key Exchange Protocol to generate a symmetric key for two parties to communicate over insecure channel. We will learn the modular arithmetic and the Euler Totient Theorem to appreciate the RSA Asymmetric Crypto Algorithm, and use OpenSSL utility to realize the basic operations of RSA Crypto Algorithm. Armed with these knowledge, we learn how to use PHP Crypto API to write secure programs for encrypting and decrypting documents and for signing and verify documents. We then apply these techniques to enhance the registration process of a web site which ensures the account created is actually requested by the owner of the email account.
In this MOOC, you will learn how to hack web apps with command injection vulnerabilities in a web site of your AWS Linux instance. You will learn how to search valuable information on a typical Linux systems with LAMP services, and deposit and hide Trojans for future exploitation. You will learn how to patch these web apps with input validation using regular expression. You will learn a security design pattern to avoid introducing injection vulnerabilities by input validation and replacing generic system calls with specific function calls. You will learn how to hack web apps with SQL injection vulnerabilities and retrieve user profile information and passwords. You will learn how to patch them with input validation and SQL parameter binding. You will learn the hacking methodology, Nessus tool for scanning vulnerabilities, Kali Linux for penetration testing, and Metasploit Framework for gaining access to vulnerable Windows Systems, deploying keylogger, and perform Remote VNC server injection. You will learn security in memory systems and virtual memory layout, and understand buffer overflow attacks and their defenses. You will learn how to clone a Kali instance with AWS P2 GPU support and perform hashcat password cracking using dictionary attacks and known pattern mask attacks.
In this MOOC, we will focus on learning how network systems are secured using firewalls and IDS. This will include understanding the basic components of network security, constructing a dual-firewall DMZ, and defining security policies to implement and enforce these rules. Building upon these lessons we will go in-depth on the popular Linux firewall. Finally we will learn about Network IDS and Host IDS, including a deep dive into Snort.
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16 weeks.
Know one high level programming language, basic Unix system commands, and discrete mathematics in particular the number theory.
Yes. MOOC1 covers security design principles and concepts. Learning it first will help understand basic security terms which are used in other MOOCs and how the principles and basic security services are applied in various situations. MOOC2 helps the learners understanding the basic cryptography and related crypto API to create secure web app. These knowledge help learners assess the hacking and patching skill/tools needed in MOOC3. MOOC4 should be done last since it integrates all cyber security knowledge to implement security policies and their enforcement procedures for hardening a networked systems.
At this time, this Specialization is not credit bearing. At a future time, this content may contribute in part towards university credit. Please note that additional costs and requirements may be entailed once credit is offered.
You should be able to create public/private keys, certificate requests, install/sign/verify them for web server and client authentication, secure emails, and code signing.
You should be able to write secure web apps with Crypto API to implement the confidentiality, integrity, and availability basic security services.
You should be able to hack web applications with Command Injection and SQL Injection vulnerabilities and patch them.
You should be able to apply penetration testing tool to exploit vulnerable systems.
You should be able to use hashcat softare and AWS P3 GPU to crack passwords using dictionary attacks and mask patterns.
You should be able to configure firewall and IDS for secure network systems using AWS VPCs.
You should be able to specify effective security policies and implement efficient enforcement procedures by applying security design principles for securing network systems.
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Financial aid available,
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