Digital Privacy & Modern Security
The sequel to Cybersecurity Basics -- 25 lessons on what that course doesn't cover: passkeys, public Wi-Fi and VPN risks, browser security depth, digital privacy fundamentals, developer-focused authentication and API security, and AI/vibe-coding security, closing with real defensive projects. Purely defensive education -- no exploit instructions.
25 Lessons · 630 min · Learning Platform Editorial Team
What you need on the desk
- None strictly required -- every concept is taught through diagrams, checklists, and prose
- Optionally a password manager and/or a device that supports passkeys, to follow along conceptually
- A Node.js environment, to run the small JavaScript checklist/decision-function examples
Know this much before you start
- Recommended: the Cybersecurity Basics course, or equivalent comfort with passwords, 2FA, phishing, malware, encryption, and backup fundamentals.
- This course does not re-teach those fundamentals -- it picks up exactly where that course stops: passkeys, public Wi-Fi/VPN, browser security, privacy, and developer-focused authentication/API security.
- This is DEFENSIVE security education throughout -- prevention, detection, safe configuration, and recovery. It never provides exploit payloads, credential-stealing workflows, or malware/ransomware implementation instructions.
By the end, you can
- Explain passkeys conceptually and fairly compare them against traditional passwords
- Secure account recovery paths (recovery codes, recovery email/phone, trusted devices) as part of overall account security
- Recognize modern, AI-enabled scams and impersonation attempts that traditional phishing advice doesn't fully cover
- Use public Wi-Fi more safely and explain what a VPN actually protects against -- and what it doesn't
- Configure browser security deliberately: extensions, site permissions, downloads, and cookies
- Distinguish authentication from authorization and protect tokens and sessions like credentials
- Apply API security controls beyond just protecting secret keys: authorization per resource, rate limiting, input validation, and response data minimization
- Apply digital privacy principles (data minimization, permission review, tracking awareness) as a discipline distinct from security
- Review AI-generated ("vibe coded") code for security before deploying it, rather than assuming AI output is secure by default