1
What Is Cybersecurity?
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
Course
Online Security Fundamentals.
A calm, beginner-friendly course that explains online security using everyday examples.
Status: Not started
What you will learn
Learn the basics of protecting yourself online, blocking incoming threats, and acting quickly if a security breach happens.
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Protect Personal Information
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
3
Block Incoming Threats
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
4
React Quickly to a Security Breach
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
5
Knowledge Check
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
6
Summary
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
Use these before or after the course.
What's inside this course
Course lessons
What Is Cybersecurity?
Protect Personal Information
Block Incoming Threats
React Quickly to a Security Breach
Knowledge Check
Summary
What you'll learn
Online Security Fundamentals goes deeper than the basics, teaching the specific tools and habits that make scam attempts much less likely to succeed against you:
- How to create strong passwords without writing them down
- How to set up two-factor authentication on your important accounts
- How to recognize phishing emails and texts in detail
- How to safely use public Wi-Fi (and when to avoid it)
- How to recover an account that's been compromised
- How to set up a "credit freeze" to stop identity theft
Who this is for
This course is the natural follow-up to Online Safety Basics. If you've completed Basics — or if you already feel comfortable spotting scams but want to lock down your accounts — this is where you go next. The course assumes you're willing to make a few changes to how you use your accounts and to install a password manager.
Common questions
Do I really need a password manager?
If you have more than 10 online accounts (most people have 50+), then yes. The alternative is reusing passwords, which is the single biggest cause of account compromise. We walk through both built-in options (the one on your phone) and dedicated apps. See also: our guide to password management.
Is two-factor authentication really worth the trouble?
Yes. It cuts your risk of account compromise by more than 99%. The minor inconvenience of entering a code occasionally is worth it. We show you how to set it up step-by-step on the accounts that matter most (email, bank, government accounts).
What's a credit freeze?
A credit freeze locks your credit reports so no one can open new credit cards or loans in your name. It's free and we recommend it for anyone who isn't actively applying for credit. We walk through setting it up with all three credit bureaus.