This short course on The Introduction to Computer Security and Privacy course aims to teach you: 

• Basics of computer security and privacy
• How to protect a computer and data
• How to protect yourself from security threats
• How to keep a computer secure and updated

This course is at Level 1, which means it is equivalent to a GCSE grade D. This means that the material is presented in a way that is easy to understand and covers basic knowledge and skills. This is, however, a substantial course that will take several hours to complete and it will give you a good understanding of threats to computer security and privacy and inform you how you can protect yourself and your computer system from cyberthreats. Here are some examples of information included in the course:

• Threats, such as malware and phishing and how to avoid them
• Protecting your data - how to create strong easy to remember passwords
• Encryption and software for encrypting your data
• How to send secure messages
• Security settings on your computer and how to keep it up to date

Who is this course for?

This course was developed in the aftermath of the WannaCry ransomware attack in May 2017 where a 'trojan' infected over 230,000 computers around the world, including NHS computers, and caused widespread disruption. Infection was entirely avoidable by taking basic security precautions, such as not opening suspicious email attachments. This course was created for people who work in organisations like the NHS to increase their awareness of cybersecurity issues and promote safe computer use.

This course is for people who use computers  for everyday tasks, such as word processing, spreadsheets, email, social media. If you use computers for part of your job and you want to keep yourself and your organisation safe from threats, this course will provide you with the practical knowledge to do that.

The course is not intended for power users or people who work in cybersecurity.