Cybersecurity for Business
Master the skills to protect and secure digital data systems
Equip yourself with advanced techniques to counteract emerging cyber threats
Explore the dynamic world of cybersecurity with this comprehensive module.
Designed to empower you with the skills to safeguard personal and organisational data, this course focuses on mastering cutting-edge cybersecurity techniques. You’ll learn to identify and assess vulnerabilities in data systems, uncovering how they can lead to security breaches.
Develop robust protection strategies to keep data safe from potential threats. Explore the critical legal and ethical dimensions of cybersecurity, preparing you to navigate the complexities of this ever-evolving field. Join us and become a vital defender in the digital era, equipped to tackle tomorrow’s cyber challenges today.
Innovative online learning with expert guidance and emerging technologies.
Our fully online module employs an innovative teaching methodology that blends hybrid learning with expert tutorship. This approach alternates between live lectures, self-paced study, and hands-on lab sessions. Expert tutors not only teach the content but also guide students through their learning journey.
Key strategies include problem-based learning, gamification and the flipped classroom, all enhanced by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, which keep students engaged and enrich the learning experience.
Assessments are ongoing and final, including exams, assignments, and projects. A significant project (50%) applies cybersecurity to real business problems, while a final test (50%) ensures a comprehensive understanding of the material.
Time commitment
Classroom and demonstrations: 36 hours
Practical work/tutorials: 24 hours
Independent learning: 190 hours
Total: 250 hours
Credit points
10 ECTS
Full course breakdown
Subjects covered:
Cybersecurity for Business is a 10 ECTS module with 5 hours per week, over 12 weeks. The following schedule outlines the topics covered each week:
- Introduction to Cybersecurity
- Overview of cybersecurity, its importance, and the growing demand for professionals
- Understanding online identity, data, and their significance to cybercriminals.
- Seminar on real-world cybersecurity challenges
- Risk Management and Compliance
- Exploring the significance of safeguarding electronic information networks and data
- Regulatory compliance requirements for business
- Implementing risk assessments and developing risk mitigation strategies.
- Lab on security breach case studies
- Network Security for Business
- Addressing software and hardware vulnerabilities, device, network, and cloud security
- Implementing secure network infrastructure including best practices for securing wireless networks and remote access
- Lab on securing the application landscape, incident response planning and security incidents management
- Cyber Attacks: Concepts and Techniques
- Analysis of cyberattacks, identifying and classifying security vulnerabilities.
- Understanding endpoint security challenges in business environments
- Securing IoT devices and other connected endpoints in business networks
- Seminar on vulnerabilities and real-world use cases
- Data and Privacy Protection
- Best practices for protecting computer devices, wireless networks, and online accounts
- Implementing cryptographic methods for business data
- Exploration of ethical implications and considerations in using AI and cryptography for data privacy protection
- Practical exercises on implementing cryptographic techniques for privacy-preserving data sharing and analysis
- Lab on data encryption and backup strategies
- Organisational protection and cloud security for business
- Techniques for firewall configuration, port scanning, and certificate updates.
- Securing cloud services and data storage in public, private, and hybrid cloud environments
- Identity and access management in the cloud
- Data backup and disaster recovery planning for cloud-based systems
- Lab on using tools for security monitoring
- Cyberattack Detection and Cyberdefense
- Real-time attack detection, best security practices, and understanding botnets and the kill chain
- Lab on behaviour-based security
- Tools for incident prevention and detection
- Overview of CSIRT, security playbooks, IDS, and IPS
- Cybersecurity Legal Issues
- Personal legal issues. Corporate Legal Issues.
- International Law and Cybersecurity.
- Ethical Issues in Cybersecurity
- Overview of cybersecurity laws, regulations, and industry standards applicable to businesses.
- Understanding ethical considerations in cybersecurity decision-making.
- Addressing legal and ethical challenges related to incident response, data breaches, and privacy violations.
- Discussion on ethical considerations and the role of professional organisations in cybersecurity ethics.
- Cyberwarfare
- Understanding cyberwarfare, its objectives, and impacts.
- Emerging Topics and Careers in Cybersecurity
- Exploration of AI in cyberattacks and defence, the geopolitical aspects of cyberspace, and blockchain technology.
Learning objectives
This module teaches students to identify and address cybersecurity vulnerabilities, develop protection strategies, and understand the legal and ethical aspects of protecting personal and organisational data. Here’s what you’ll achieve:
- Analyse and critically evaluate vulnerabilities in personal and organisational data systems to identify potential security breaches and suggest mitigative strategies, fostering analytical thinking and attention to detail.
- Synthesise and apply advanced concepts and techniques of cyber-attacks to simulate potential security breaches, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of cyber threat landscapes and training problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.
- Design and implement robust strategies for the protection of personal and organisational data, utilising encryption techniques and security protocols to mitigate potential threats.
- Evaluate and integrate tools and methodologies for the prevention and detection of cyber-attack incidents, Digital4BUSINESS 22 developing critical thinking skills and demonstrating an ability to anticipate and counteract emerging cyber threats.
Module leader
Mikael Asplund, Linköping University.
Mikael Asplund received his MSc and PhD in Computer Science from Linköping University in 2005 and 2011. He was a Research Fellow at Trinity College Dublin (2011–2012) and is now Senior Associate Professor at Linköping University.
His research focuses on cyber-physical security, formal verification, and critical infrastructure. He also leads several cybersecurity projects and master’s programs.
Gurjot Singh
Gurjot Singh is a cybersecurity researcher at Linköping University with a PhD and over a decade of teaching experience. Passionate about cybersecurity, he co-developed this 10 ECTS module with Associate Professor Mikael Asplund. It enables students to assess and mitigate cyber risks, analyse security vulnerabilities, and navigate the legal, ethical, and strategic dimensions of cybersecurity in business.
Opening up new opportunities in cybersecurity
The Digital4Business Cybersecurity in Business module is aimed IT professionals and data enthusiasts eager to advance in the field of digital protection.
It opens up careers in cybersecurity analysis, data protection, ethical hacking, information security management and many related paths.
Our master’s program and micro-credentials offer a wide selection of modules that seamlessly complement the Cybersecurity for Business module. Expand your skills and progress your career by exploring the courses available at Digital4Business.
Download the prospectus
Join the Digital4Business ecosystem
This module is a key component of the Digital4Business programme, a groundbreaking online master’s funded by the EU. D4B aims to cultivate the digital leaders and strategists of the future by examining how digital transformation fuels business innovation and efficiency, equipping you with the expertise to thrive in the digital age.
FAQ
Minimum B2 English proficiency, plus 2 years' work or education in an English-speaking environment. IELTS: 6.0; TOEFL PBT: 600; TOEFL CBT: 200; TOEFL iBT: 100. Alternatively, proficiency may be assessed via a test or interview
Relevant EQF Level 6 qualification required in a relevant field including but not limited to: computer science, IT, engineering, maths, business, or economics. Without this you will have an interview and assessment to evaluate certifications, qualifications or professional experience.
This EU co-funded programme is open to all EU27, EEA, UK and Ukrainian nationals with a passport or valid ID from one of these countries.