Fundamentals of Cyber and Information Security for Public Administration
This course is designed for laypeople, professional staff, and managers in public administration who wish to acquire the foundational knowledge and practical skills necessary to navigate the dynamic world of cybersecurity. It requires only standard computer literacy and a willingness to understand the principles that affect the daily operations of public institutions today.
Participants will become familiar with current threats and trends in cyber and information security, learn technical terminology, and gain an overview of key legal standards – including national and European legislation. The course covers the legal and ethical aspects of digital asset protection, teaching participants to identify and map risks, design appropriate protective measures, and apply best security practices. It explains the basic principles of how operating systems and computer networks function from a security perspective and addresses practical aspects of protection – ranging from configuring anti-virus software, firewalls, and backups, to phishing protection and an introduction to penetration testing and encryption. Participants will learn about various types of cyberattacks, methods for detecting them, and how to respond. The final modules open up advanced topics such as the use of artificial intelligence in security, the security of cloud solutions, and the challenges associated with the Internet of Things.
Teaching format: In-person, semester-based model with weekly frequency, maximum of six months.
Course structure: Seven thematic modules.
Topics and Schedule of the Training
| Current risks and trends in cybersecurity, terminology. Overview of core legislation and regulations in the field of cybersecurity (act, decrees, European framework). Legal and ethical aspects of cybersecurity. |
| Identification and mapping of risks, risk mitigation, and best practices for asset protection. |
| Basic introduction to the issues of operating systems and computer networks from the perspective of terminology and cybersecurity. |
| Overview of types of cyber attacks, security measures and techniques, policies and procedures. Basics of encryption. |
| Basic configurations – file protection, backup, antivirus configuration, firewall basics, phishing protection, and the basics and principles of penetration testing. |
| Introduction to computer networks from the perspective of basic network device configuration techniques and IP addressing schemes. |
| Advanced topics and trends – artificial intelligence in cybersecurity, cloud security, IoT, and others. |
