Coursera – Fundamentals of Computer Network Security Specialization by University of Colorado

Design and Analyze Secure Networked Systems
In this MOOC, we will learn the basic cyber security concepts, how to identify vulnerabilities/threat in a network system. We will apply CIA basic security services in the triage of recent cyberattack incidents, such as OPM data breach. We will learn the risk management framework for analyzing the risks in a network system, and apply the basic security design principles to protect the data and secure computer systems. We will examine the trustworthiness of programs and data installed in our systems and show the proper way to verify their integrity and authenticity. We will apply principle of least privileges for controlling the shared access given to different groups of users and system processes. On Amazon Cloud instances, we will use GnuPG software to generate public/private key pair for signing/verifying documents and open source software, and for encrypting documents. We will learn how to publish software, the related signature and release key on web server and publish public key to PGP key server for others to retrieve. We will learn Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Linux utility to serve as a CA for an organization, learn how to sign certificate request for clients or servers in secure email and web applications.

Basic Cryptography and Programming with Crypto API
In this MOOC, we will learn the basic concepts and principles of crytography, apply basic cryptoanalysis to decrypt messages encrypted with mono-alphabetic substitution cipher, and discuss the strongest encryption technique of the one-time-pad and related quantum key distribution systems. We will also learn the efficient symmetric key cryptography algorithms for encrypting data, discuss the DES and AES standards, study the criteria for selecting AES standard, present the block cipher operating modes and discuss how they can prevent and detect the block swapping attacks, and examine how to defend against replay attacks. We will learn the Diffie-Hellman Symmetric Key Exchange Protocol to generate a symmetric key for two parties to communicate over insecure channel. We will learn the modular arithmetic and the Euler Totient Theorem to appreciate the RSA Asymmetric Crypto Algorithm, and use OpenSSL utility to realize the basic operations of RSA Crypto Algorithm. Armed with these knowledge, we learn how to use PHP Crypto API to write secure programs for encrypting and decrypting documents and for signing and verify documents. We then apply these techniques to enhance the registration process of a web site which ensures the account created is actually requested by the owner of the email account.

Hacking and Patching
In this MOOC, you will learn how to hack web apps with command injection vulnerabilities in a web site of your AWS Linux instance. You will learn how to search valuable information on a typical Linux systems with LAMP services, and deposit and hide Trojans for future exploitation. You will learn how to patch these web apps with input validation using regular expression. You will learn a security design pattern to avoid introducing injection vulnerabilities by input validation and replacing generic system calls with specific function calls. You will learn how to hack web apps with SQL injection vulnerabilities and retrieve user profile information and passwords. You will learn how to patch them with input validation and SQL parameter binding. You will learn the hacking methodology, Nessus tool for scanning vulnerabilities, Kali Linux for penetration testing, and Metasploit Framework for gaining access to vulnerable Windows Systems, deploying keylogger, and perform Remote VNC server injection. You will learn security in memory systems and virtual memory layout, and understand buffer overflow attacks and their defenses. You will learn how to clone a Kali instance with AWS P2 GPU support and perform hashcat password cracking using dictionary attacks and known pattern mask attacks.

Secure Networked System with Firewall and IDS
In this MOOC, we will focus on learning how network systems are secured using firewalls and IDS. This will include understanding the basic components of network security, constructing a dual-firewall DMZ, and defining security policies to implement and enforce these rules. Building upon these lessons we will go in-depth on the popular Linux firewall. Finally we will learn about Network IDS and Host IDS, including a deep dive into Snort.