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EDWartens UK

Free course · Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Fundamentals for Beginners

Start in cybersecurity from zero: the eight security domains, the CIA triad, risk with the NIST and NCSC frameworks, Cyber Essentials, UK GDPR and the Computer Misuse Act, networks and firewalls, Linux and access control, malware, incident response, and honest advice on a first job. Built on Google's public Cybersecurity Certificate lessons.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
9
Video
8 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain the eight security domains and the CIA triad; assess a risk and pick controls using NIST CSF, the NIST RMF and the NCSC's 10 Steps and Cyber Essentials; describe how networks work, how firewalls and zones protect them and how common network attacks unfold; read Linux file permissions and apply least privilege; explain symmetric and asymmetric encryption and hashing; recognise malware types and prioritise vulnerabilities by CVSS; follow the incident response lifecycle, know when a UK personal data breach must be reported to the ICO, and write an incident summary a manager can act on; and prepare honestly for an entry-level security interview.

  • Explain the eight security domains and where an analyst fits
  • Describe incidents using the CIA triad
  • Score risks and use NIST CSF, the NIST RMF, the NCSC 10 Steps and Cyber Essentials
  • Explain networks, ports, firewalls and security zones
  • Read and set Linux file permissions and apply least privilege and MFA
  • Recognise malware and prioritise vulnerabilities with CVSS
  • Follow the incident response lifecycle and know when to report a breach to the ICO
  • Write an incident summary and prepare a portfolio and STAR answers for a first security interview

Software

A free Linux environment (a virtual machine with Ubuntu, Windows Subsystem for Linux, or a browser-based Linux lab) and Wireshark. Everything used is free.

Hardware

Any laptop or desktop that can run a small virtual machine. 8 GB of RAM is comfortable.

Syllabus

9 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1The eight domains, and who a security analyst works with2 lessons
  2. 2Foundations of cybersecurity1 lesson
  3. 3Managing risks, threats and frameworks1 lesson
  4. 4Networks, and how to secure them4 lessonsLab
  5. 5Operating systems, Linux, access control and encryption4 lessons
  6. 6Malware, and how to prepare for it1 lessonLab
  7. 7Incidents: detection, response and telling the story3 lessonsLab
  8. 8Your first cybersecurity job2 lessons
  9. 9Final Assessment0 lessons

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Practise firewall rules, ranking weaknesses, reading logs and responding to an incident in the OT security lab, on a fictional plant network.

Works alongside Cybersecurity Fundamentals for Beginners. The Lab is ot security practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
OT security: Defend a plant network.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Cybersecurity Fundamentals for Beginners

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • Grow with Google

    the lessons "What are the 8 Cybersecurity Domains?", "Who are the Stakeholders in Cybersecurity?", "Cybersecurity for Beginners" and 15 more

Questions

About this course

Do I need any IT background?
No. The course starts from what cybersecurity is and builds up. Comfort with installing software and using a browser is enough; the Linux and networking modules explain everything they use.
Is this the Google Cybersecurity Certificate?
No. The video lessons are Grow with Google's public Google Cybersecurity Certificate material, credited on each module, but this course is not that programme and is not affiliated with Google. EDWartens wrote the notes, practice, project and assessments, and added the UK context.
Does it cover UK law and guidance?
Yes, at the level a beginner needs: the Computer Misuse Act 1990, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 with the duty to report some personal data breaches to the ICO, and NCSC guidance including the 10 Steps and Cyber Essentials. The videos use US and international examples, and the notes add the UK position.
Will this get me a job?
No course can promise that. It gives you the foundations employers expect and a project you can show in interviews. The career module is honest about what else it takes: practice, a portfolio and clear communication.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment at 60 percent, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a Google, CompTIA, ISC2 or Cyber Essentials certification.
How long does it take?
About 6 hours of video, or about 9 hours with the notes and practice questions. At a few hours a week, that is three to four weeks.
How does it compare with Security+ or the Google certificate?
It covers the foundations both build on, with UK law and NCSC guidance added, and is a good first step before either. It is shorter and does not replace them; EDWartens is not affiliated with Google, CompTIA or ISC2.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module