“A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity”, the second installment to the popular cybersecurity MOOC taught by Dr. Charles Harry, an Associate Research Professor in the Public Policy and Information Schools, Senior Research Associate at the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), and Director of the Center for Governance of Technology and Systems (GoTech), is now open for registration on Coursera.
The course provides a framework for understanding the interdependency and complex systems affecting private and public entities to help improve critical cybersecurity infrastructure impacting organizational security.
“Cybersecurity is often believed to be an entirely technical discipline, yet the confluence of socio-technical elements in the field demand skills beyond computer science or engineering," argued Harry. "A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity focuses on the larger incentives for both the private and public sector and how leaders can influence defensive strategies by assessing risk of the most consequential effects of cyber attacks.”
“A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity” follows on the popularity of “Cybersecurity for Everyone”, which has reached over 100,000 enrollees since its release in 2021. “Cybersecurity for Everyone” is now the most popular MOOC associated with the University of Maryland and one of the most highly regarded online courses available on the topic of strategic cybersecurity. With a 98% content rating, enrollees have found that “Cybersecurity for Everyone” provides an accessible way to learn foundational concepts and to begin to think strategically about cybersecurity regardless of their level of technical knowledge.
“The success of Cybersecurity for Everyone demonstrates the significance of this material across industries and geographies,” said Harry. “The launch of the second course along with a future course in risk measurement will help members of the public and private sector to better understand the complexities of integrated technologies.”
These courses draw on GoTech and CISSM’s effects-centric framework for cyber risk assessment to help organizational leaders, chief information officers, and policy makers think strategically about how to allocate scarce resources based on the type of organization they’re protecting, the types of cyber threats it faces, and the consequences of different cyber events for the organization and its affiliates. The courses also leverage the Cyber Events Database, a unique open-source dataset with information on thousands of cyber events since 2014.
Both courses are designed to be self-paced so enrollees can start and complete on their own schedule. They have the option of purchasing the courses and receiving a certificate (for each) upon completion or auditing the courses for free. Depending on previous knowledge level, “A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity” can be taken independently of or as a follow-on to “Cybersecurity for Everyone.”
In fall 2023, the release of a third course will complete the series. The third installment will focus on assessing cyber risk and methods for measuring consequences.
Click here to learn more and enroll in “A Strategic Approach to Cybersecurity”.
Click here to learn more and enroll in “Cybersecurity for Everyone”.
