INTRODUCTION TO

CYBERSECURITY

Prepared and assembled by Dr. Ghassan Saleh Hussein

Head of Department, Digital Innovation
Institute of Computer Science & Digital Innovation (ICSDI)
UCSI University
Course Learning Outcome

• Understand the need of cybersecurity

• Explore the cybersecurity knowledge
What is Cyber Security?
• Cyber Security is a set of principles and practices designed to
safeguard your computing assets and online information against
threats.
So, what does it mean?
Our role in cybersecurity!
End-users are the last line of defense. As an end-user,
you;

1. Create and maintain password and passphrase

2. Manage your account and password
3. Secure your computer
4. Protect the data you are handling
5. Assess risky behavior online
6. Equip yourself with the knowledge of security
guidelines, policies, and procedures
CI
A
Security Threats
1. Safely mange your password
2. Safely manage your email account
3. Secure your computer
4. Protect the data you are handling
5. Avoid risky behavior online
6. Be aware of security guidelines,
policies, and procedures
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?

10. Cybersecurity – An Evergreen Industry

Cybersecurity has slowly transformed into an evergreen

industry. Like air pollution was a by-product of the industrial
revolution, cyber attacks are a similar by-product of the digital
revolution. Keeping this situation in mind, and looking at the
advances we have made as a community since the invention
of the internet, I think it’s an obvious conclusion that
Cybersecurity as a viable career option is here to stay. With
the advent of topics like Big Data, Internet of Things and Cloud
Computing the permanent stature of Cybersecurity and the
magnitude of its importance has been very well set in stone.
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?
9. Travel the World with Cybersecurity

For those of you, who aspire to travel the globe,

cybersecurity might just be the perfect career path.
Thousands of home-grown cybersecurity experts or working
to protect businesses, government agencies, and general
consumers. On a global scale, the rise in cyber-attacks is
outpacing the supply of cyber-defenders. This results in
plenty of opportunities for cybersecurity professionals and
experts to travel overseas to serve their skills which are in
high demand. Hence, if you have ever wanted to work in a
different country, then a career in cybersecurity might just
be your perfect passport to success!
 
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?

8. A Career that Serves the Greater Good 

Cybersecurity Companies have defended us time and time
again against a variety of cyber attacks that to compromise
our confidentiality, availability, and integrity. Even so, the
number of cyber crimes are only increasing day by day.
Millions are falling prey to phishing scams, ransomware &
spyware, DDoS attacks. The online threat to companies, big
or small and individuals too is large and growing. Around
the world,  National Crime Agencies, Police Forces,
Company SecurityTteamsare all fighting this menace – but
they need more help.
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?

7. A Chance to Work with Secret Agencies

It’s certain that Cybersecurity Professionals have a clear

shot at working with prestigious fortune 500 companies
like Dell, Accenture, InfoTech etc, but the potential doesn’t
end there. Experts who prove to be worthy of their skills
might earn the chance to work with top-secret government
agencies and intelligence agencies eg MI6, Mossad, NSA. So
if you learn cybersecurity, you might just become a top-
secret agent!
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?

6. No Math!

It’s a known fact that not everyone shares the same love
and affection for maths that some people seem to have. If
you recognize yourself as a person who always had an
aversion to mathematics then a career in cybersecurity
should be right up your alley. Cybersecurity courses are
completely free from mathematics. Instead, you spend time
honing skills like programming and networking which helps
you build a career specific skill set!
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?
5. Unlimited Potential for Personal Growth

Cyber attacks are getting smarter by the day. Cybersecurity

professionals are always busy outsmarting black hat hackers,
patching vulnerabilities and analyzing the risk of an
organization. Tackling such attacks in an ever-advancing
industry only comes with continuous study and thorough
research. This means after you learn cybersecurity and start
working, your knowledge is continuously enriched and with
experience, your wisdom continuously gets honed and thus
the sky is the limit when we are talking about personal growth
in the cybersecurity industry.
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?
4.  Plenty of Opportunities

There are over a million companies in this world spread

across a variety of sectors and industries and a large
proportion of them share one thing in common today i.e.
need for an internet connection. More than 400,000 people
already work in the information security industry and demand
for cyber skills is growing fast in every type of company and
government department. So, whether you dream of working
in sports or fashion, media or the emergency services, finance
or retail, cyber skills could your gateway as everyone needs
someone, to defend their sensitive data.
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?
3. A Variety of Industries to Choose

As a cybersecurity professional you are not confined to a singular industry

unlike a majority of the professional world. Digitalisation is taking place
across a lot of industries. With advancements in the field of IOT, Big Data,
Automation, and Cloud Computing we could say we are going through a
Digital revolution. So being a cybersecurity doesn’t stop you from working in
a hospital, school, government agencies, top-secret military agencies. The
gates are wide open as almost everybody wants to be secure on the digital
front.
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?

3. A Variety of Industries to Choose

As a cybersecurity professional you are not confined to a singular industry unlike a majority of the
professional world. Digitalisation is taking place across a lot of industries. With advancements in the field of
IOT, Big Data, Automation, and Cloud Computing we could say we are going through a Digital revolution. So
being a cybersecurity doesn’t stop you from working in a hospital, school, government agencies, top-secret
military agencies. The gates are wide open as almost everybody wants to be secure on the digital front.
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?

2. A Job that Never Gets Boring

Due to the unpredictable nature of the future, a career in cybersecurity

is not and cannot be static and stale. You will be challenged on a regular
basis. There will be new and unexpected failures as well as amazing and
surprising discoveries. One certainty is that attackers will continue to
develop new exploits on a constant basis and it is your job to find
creative, and optimized solutions to the arising problems. As a
cybersecurity professional, you will be solving new puzzles, fighting off
new demons, and supporting new activities on a regular basis. So if you
tend to easily get bored due to things being monotonous, fret not,
Cybersecurity never gets boring!
 Why WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CYBERSECURITY?
1. Fat Pay Cheques

I think we all can agree that ‘money makes the world go round‘. The world has realized the sheer
importance of cybersecurity, with stories in the news almost every week of new cyber attacks. Faced
with online attacks, business and government agencies are looking for experts who can protect their
systems from cybercriminals – and they are willing to pay high salaries and provide training and
development. There are great opportunities for anyone starting a career in cybersecurity:

•Salaries in cyber security have a greater growth potential than 90% other industries
•For senior security professionals, earnings can surpass the average median by a vast amount
•Earnings are based on merit, not your gender, age or ethnicity.
Security Threats
Security Threats
Intrusion – Unauthorized individuals trying to gain access to computer
systems in order to steal information

Virus, Worm, Trojan Horse (Malware) – programs that infect your machine
and carry malicious codes to destroy the data on your machine or allow an
intruder to take control over your machine
Phishing – The practice of using email or fake website to lure the recipient in
providing personal information

Spyware – software that sends information from your computer to a third party
without your consent
Spam – programs designed to send a message to multiple users, mailing lists
or email groups
Thank you