Cybersecurity Techniques & Strategies

Introduction to Cybersecurity in IT Operations

Cybersecurity is essential in maintaining the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of IT systems. It admins serve as the first line of defense against evolving digital threats.

• Modern Threat Landscape
• Common Attack Vectors: Insider Threats, Ransomware, Phishing
• CIA Triad and Security Principles
• Security Strategies: Defense in Depth, Zero Trust
• Threat Actor Types
• Risk Assessment
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• NIS2 Regulation

Cryptography and Encryption

Protecting data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity relies on converting information into secure, protected formats. Challenges often arise from poor key management, outdated algorithms, and incorrect implementation that can leave systems vulnerable.

• Encoding - Hashing - Encryption - Digital Signing
• Symmetric Versus Assymetric Encryption
• Common Algorithms: AES - RSA - SHA2 - ECC
• Crypto Algorithms Best Practices
• Post Quantum Cryptography

Certification Authorities and Encryption Technologies

Protecting data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity relies on converting information into secure, protected formats. Challenges often arise from poor key management, outdated algorithms, and incorrect implementation that can leave systems vulnerable.

• Public Key Infrastructure and Digital Certificates
• Protecting Data at Rest: Disk Encryption, File Encrytion
• Protecting Data in Transit: TLS, VPN, IPSec
• Common Misconfigurations and Vulnerabilities
• Key Generation, Rotation, and Storage (HSM, TPM)

Identity and Access Management - Cloud

Identities face key security challenges such as weak or reused credentials, and poor enforcement of least privilege principles. Misconfigured roles, lack of multi-factor authentication, and dormant accounts further increase the risk of unauthorized access.

• Identity-Based Attacks
• Password Management and Guidelines
• MFA Options, Best Practices and Security Issues
• Passwordless Authentication
• Credential and Token Theft Techniques
• Account Security Best Practices

Identity and Access Management - OnPrem

Active Directory is still one of the most used identity services in the entire world. The Kerberos authentication protocol, used in an Active Directory domain, is therefore a very interesting service for attackers. Lots of hacking tools, like mimikatz, Rubeus and PowerSploit are used by threat actors to get their hands on Kerberos tickets, allowing them to impersonate real users in your organization.

• Kerberos Authentication Explained
• Kerberos-Based Attacks: Pass-the-Hash, Silver Ticket, Golden Ticket, Diamond Ticket
• Kerberoasting Attack
• Detection and Mitigation of Kerberos-Based Attacks
• Account Security Best Practices

Network Based Threats

This module introduces key network attack techniques, showing how attackers exploit weaknesses to intercept data, disrupt services, or bypass security controls. You will also learn practical methods for detecting and mitigating these threats, helping you build stronger defenses against network-based attacks.

• Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks
• ARP Spoofing Attack
• Denial-of-Service Attacks (D)Dos
• DNS Tunneling Attack
• Detection and Mitigation of Network Attacks

Network Security and Monitoring

To limit your attack surface, an organization requires essential network defense technologies and tools, including next-generation firewalls, network access control, and segmentation strategies. Traffic analysis and network mapping tools will help you to strengthen overall network security.

• Next-Generation Firewalls
• Network Access Control
• Network Segmentation and Micro-Segmentation
• Network Traffic Analysis: Wireshark
• Network Mapping: nmap - zenmap
• VPNs and End-to-End Encryption

Endpoint and Server Security

Many systems can be manipulated through unpatched vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and lack of visibility into device activity. Attackers often exploit outdated software or improperly secured systems to gain initial access or escalate privileges within a network.

• Malware Types: Ransomware, Spyware, Trojan, Exploit, ...
• Securing Endpoints: Antivirus, EDR, XDR, Patching
• Windows/Linux Hardening Techniques
• Configuration Baselines (CIS Benchmarks)
• MITRE ATT&CK Framework
• IoT Security

Secure Code and Applications

Developing software with security in mind helps prevent vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. Common pitfalls include improper input validation, insecure data handling, and lack of error handling, which can lead to breaches or system failures.

• OWASP Top 10
• Identify Bugs and Application Vulnerabilities
• Implement Web Application Firewalls
• Code Injection Attacks
• Supply Chain Attacks in Open Source Libraries
• Micro-Architectural Attacks
• Securely Access Credentials and Sensitive Data from Code

Social Engineering and AI-based Attacks

Attackers manipulate human behavior to gain unauthorized access, often exploiting trust, fear, or curiosity. Emerging AI-based techniques amplify these threats by crafting highly convincing phishing and impersonation attacks that are harder to detect.

• Social Engineering
• Social Engineering Attacks: Phishing - Baiting - Tailgating - Scareware - ...
• Defense Strategies against Social Engineering Attacks
• Email Protection: SPF - DKIM - DMARC
• AI-Powered Cyberattacks: Dark AI, Deep Fakes, ...
• AI Model Attacks: Data Poisoning - Prompt Injections - Model Manipulations

Secure Software & Systems Lifecycle

Security must be integrated in your systems from design through decommissioning. That process comes with considerable challenges including insecure coding practices, lack of security testing, and failure to patch or retire outdated systems.

• Secure Deployment Principles
• Managing Updates and Changes
• Common Misconfigurations: Open RDP, Default Creds, ...
• Golden Images and Provisioning Pipelines: Packer, Ansible, GitHub Workflows, ...
• Cloud Security Vulnerabilities and Best Practices
• Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVEs)

Incident Response & Business Continuity

Effective preparation and coordinated actions are critical to quickly contain and recover from security incidents. Ensuring business continuity involves planning for disruptions to minimize downtime and maintain essential operations during and after attacks.

• Business Continuity Planning
• Data Protection and Backup
• Disaster Recovery Planning
• Incident Lifecycle: From Detection to Recovery
• IT Admin's Playbook During a Breach
• Log and Forensic Evidence Preservation

Security Strategies

Simulated attacks and defensive exercises help organizations identify vulnerabilities and improve their security posture. Techniques like penetration testing and red team/blue team drills reveal weaknesses before real attackers can exploit them.

• Red Team - Blue Team - Purple Team
• Penetration Testing
• SIEM - SOAR
• Logging and Threat Hunting
• Awareness Training and Insider Threat Prevention
• Physical Security