Basics of Cybersecurity under NIS2 — Prevention, Technology and Incident Response (ZKB1)

Course content:

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• Introduction to digital security
1. Current cyber threat landscape
2. Importance of digital hygiene at work and home
3. Basic principles of safe online behaviour

• Passwords and access credentials
1. Creating strong passwords and password management
2. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and its importance
3. Secure login practices for services and apps

• Recognising and preventing phishing
1. Types of phishing (email, SMS, phone)
2. Real examples of fraudulent messages and websites
3. Risks from attachments and documents (macros, archives, PDFs)
4. Steps to take if you suspect phishing

• Cloud service security
1. Risks of sharing data in cloud services (OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive)
2. Correct permission and access settings
3. Protecting sensitive documents and data
4. Difference between sync and backup

• Social engineering and manipulation techniques
1. Psychological tricks used by attackers
2. Case studies of real attacks
3. Defensive strategies against manipulation and pressure

• Working with data, devices and physical security
1. Risks of unknown USB drives and external devices
2. No-click attacks and hidden threats from physical media
3. Safe handling of laptops, printing and documents
4. Basics of physical security at and outside the workplace

• Mobile devices and remote work
1. Risks of using phones for work tasks
2. Loss or theft of devices and consequences
3. Safe use of mobile apps and access methods
4. Working from home and outside the office

• Updates, patches and device management
1. Importance of OS and application updates
2. Risks of postponing updates
3. User role in updates and restarts

• Incident response and reporting
1. What is a cyber incident and how to spot it
2. Immediate steps on suspected incidents
3. How, when and to whom to report incidents
4. What not to do (deleting emails, logs, hiding evidence)
5. Employee responsibilities and incident impacts

• Practical exercises and scenarios
1. Identify threats in your own work environment
2. Phishing simulation
3. Incident scenarios (USB, ransomware, credential leaks)
4. Create a personal security plan

• How the internet works from a security view
1. Internet basics — DNS names, IP addresses, URLs and domains
2. Public vs private IP, NAT, IPv4 and IPv6
3. Device and user identification online (fingerprinting)
4. Data transfer between a computer and a server and its risks

• Identity spoofing and communication interception
1. DNS spoofing and fake websites
2. ARP spoofing and Man-in-the-Middle attacks
3. Risks of shared and public networks
4. Limits of HTTPS and TLS certificate protections

• Wi‑Fi, public connections and working offsite
1. How Wi‑Fi works from a security perspective
2. Risks of open and public Wi‑Fi networks
3. Protecting communication on public networks
4. VPN — how it works, correct use and limitations

• Anonymity, tracking and digital footprint
1. Internet anonymity — myths and realities
2. User tracking and data collection (IP, cookies, fingerprinting)
3. Anonymisation tools — TOR, proxies and their limits
4. Role of ISPs and monitoring of communications

• Technical background of cyber attacks
1. Malware and malicious code — how they work and spread
2. Malware communication with remote servers
3. DoS and DDoS attacks — basic concepts
4. Web server breaches and their consequences

• Technical context of security incidents
1. How a security incident occurs technically
2. Typical incident scenarios in everyday operations
3. Digital traces and evidence after an incident
4. Correct user actions during a technical incident