THE PDC OF GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The PDC Creates Custom Training Programs that Address ALL of Your Company's Training Needs.
CYBERSECURITY
Course Description
This course covers the interdisciplinary field of cybersecurity by discussing the evolution of information security into cybersecurity, cybersecurity theory, and the relationship of cybersecurity to nations, businesses, society, and people. Participants will review multiple cybersecurity technologies, processes, and procedures, learn how to analyze the threats, vulnerabilities and risks present in these environments, and develop appropriate strategies to diminish potential cybersecurity problems.
Audience
This course introduces participants to the fast-changing world of cybersecurity and explains how cybercrime affects businesses, employees, communities, and even nations.
Using real-world examples, plain-language explanations, and relatable analogies, students will learn how attackers exploit technology and human behavior through phishing emails, scam texts, fake urgency, fraudulent websites, social engineering, ransomware, identity theft, deepfakes, and AI-generated deception. The course helps participants understand the relationship between threats, vulnerabilities, and risk, while showing them how everyday decisions can either protect or expose an organization.
Participants will gain practical skills for protecting passwords, securing devices, browsing safely, recognizing suspicious messages, protecting privacy, using safer online banking practices, responding to identity theft, and reducing exposure to ransomware and modern fraud schemes. The course also addresses workplace responsibilities, incident reporting, business data protection, remote work risks, cloud applications, vendor exposure, and emerging cybersecurity trends.
By the end of the course, students will understand that cybersecurity starts with awareness but becomes powerful through action. They will leave with practical habits
and response strategies that can help protect themselves, their workplace, and the people who depend on them. Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue—it is a life skill
and a workplace responsibility.
Prerequisites
Students taking this course should have a basic understanding of using the internet with computers, laptops, or smartphones.
Topics and Course Content
- Cybersecurity Starts at Work: How Everyday Decisions Protect the Business
- Cybercrime Touches Everyone: Why Every Person and Organization Can
Be Targeted - The Digital Workplace: Where Cybersecurity Risks Show Up
- Modern Scams in Action: Real-World Tricks Criminals Use Today
- The Human Factor: Why People Are Often the First Target
- When Security Fails: The Real Cost of Cyberattacks
- Your Role in the Defense Team: How Employees Help Stop Attacks
- Cybersecurity in Plain English: Essential Terms Everyone Should Know
- Cybercrime Touches Everyone: Why Every Person and Organization Can
- Don’t Take the Bait: Phishing, Text Traps, and Social Engineering
- Inbox Traps: Spotting Dangerous Emails (“phishing”)
- Text Message Scams: When a Quick Message Becomes a Risk
(“smishing”) - QR Code Traps: When a Scan Sends You Somewhere Dangerous
(“quishing”) - Voice Impersonation: When a Caller Is Not Who They Claim to Be
(“vishing”) - Fake Invoices and Payment Tricks: How Criminals Steal From Businesses
(“business email compromise-BEC”) - Links That Lie: How Fake Websites Steal Logins
- Attachment Traps: When a File Is More Than a File
- Fake IT Support: When the “Help Desk” Is the Attacker
- MFA Code Theft: When Attackers Ask for the One-Time Code
- Payroll and HR Scams: When Criminals Target Direct Deposit and
Employee Records - Pressure Tactics: How Criminals Use Urgency, Fear, and Authority to
Make People Act Too Fast - Reporting Scams: Why Speaking Up Quickly Protects
- Keys to the Kingdom: Protecting Your Digital Identity (“passwords”)
- The Weakest Link: How Passwords Get Cracked (“credential attacks”)
- The Danger of Using One Key Everywhere
- Credential Stuffing: When One Breached Password Opens Many Doors
- Password Spraying: When Attackers Try Common Keys Everywhere
- Crafting Unbreakable Passphrases
- Your Digital Vault: Why a Password Manager is Essential
- Double Lock: The Power of Multi-Factor Authentication
- MFA Fatigue Attacks: When Hackers Annoy You Into Approving Access
- Phishing-Resistant MFA: When “Double Lock” Needs to Be Stronger
- Passkeys: The Future of Logging In Without Passwords
- Session Hijacking: When Attackers Bypass the Password Completely
- Recovery Questions: The Back Door Into Your Account
- Shared Passwords at Work: Convenience That Creates Accountability
Problems - Privileged Accounts: Protecting the Highest-Level Access Keys
- Guarding the Crown Jewels: Securing Your Email and Financial Accounts
- Protecting Employee Privacy: Controlling What the Digital World Knows of You
- Your Digital Footprint: What the Internet Remembers
- Privacy at Work: What Employees Should Not Share
- The Oversharing Trap: Risks of Posting Too Much Employer Information
- Who’s Watching You? Data Collection & Tracking Unveiled
- Application Permissions: Why Apps Want your Camera, Microphone,
Contacts and Location - Location Tracking: When Your Phone Tells the World Where You Are
- Data Brokers: The Hidden Marketplace for Your Personal Information
- Privacy and Feeding Confidential Information to the Machine
- Fortifying Your Identity: Prevention Tactics That Work
- Protecting Business Data: Knowing What Must Be Protected
- Sensitive Data, Confidential Documents
- Customer, Employee, Financial Records
- Intellectual Property
- Data Classification
- Human Error and Security Culture: When People Become the Control
Point - Protecting the Apps Businesses Depend On: What is Cloud Security?
- Browse Without Getting Burned: Safer Web Browsing
- Browser Danger Zones: Knowing Where the Risks Hide
- Secure Websites: Spotting the Digital “Safe Door”
- Internet Settings: Locking Down Your Browser
- Cookies: When Someone Steals Your Web Pass (“session hijacking”)
- Unsafe Downloads: The Trojan Horse in Your Downloads Folder
- Fake Apps: When “Helpful” Software Is Really a Trap
- Public Wi-Fi Dangers: The Fake Network Trap (“evil twin attack”)
- Anti-Virus and Malware Applications: Your Device’s Security Guard
- VPNs and Encryption: Creating a Private Tunnel (“VPN” and “Encryption”)
- Device Security: Protecting the Technology You Carry and Trust
- Software Updates: Closing the Doors Attackers Try to Use
- Mobile Device Security Risks: The Threats Hiding in Your Pocket
- Smartphone Security Basics: Locking Down Your Everyday Lifeline
- App Permissions: Controlling What Your Apps Can See and Use
- Lost or Stolen Devices: Protecting Data When the Device Is Gone
- Personal Devices at Work: Convenience Versus Company Risk
- Employer Smart Devices: When Workplace Technology Connects
Everything (“Internet of Things,” cameras, appliances, thermostats,
medical devices, industrial sensors, vehicles) - Home Office Devices: Securing Routers, Printers, and Shared Computers
- USB and Removable Media: The Risk of Plugging In the Unknown
- Device Locking and Screen Timeouts: Stopping Access When You Step
Away - Device Disposal: Don’t Throw Away Your Data
- Bluetooth Threats: When Nearby Devices Become an Attack Path
(“bluesnarfing”) - Charging Station Risks: Public USB Traps
- Worker Wearable Devices: Smartwatches, Fitness Trackers, and Hidden
Data Exposure
- Work Anywhere, Secure Everywhere: Remote Work Security Practices
- Using VPNs and secure connections
- Keeping devices patched and updated
- Enabling multi-factor authentication
- Physical security: locking devices when unattended
- Safe use of public Wi-Fi
- Phishing awareness on all devices
- Following approved tools and software policy
- Incident reporting procedures
- The Invisible Shield: What’s Protecting Your Network?
- Phishing Hooks & Malware Traps: What’s Lurking in Your Inbox
- Passwords to Fort Knox: Locking Down Access
- Your Devices: The Trojan Horses You Didn’t Know
- Creating Action Plans and Responding to Alerts
- Your Role: The Human Firewall
- Ransomware: When Your Business is Held Hostage
- Ransomware: The Digital Kidnapper
- How Ransomware Sneaks In
- Top Tricks Attackers Use
- Bounce Back: Backups, Recovery, and Business Continuity
- Shielding Your Office and Home
- Emergency: When Cybercriminals Strike
- The Illusion of Trust: Deepfakes, Fake Voices, an Synthetic Voices
- Deepfake Definition & Technology Basics
- Real-World Cases: Fraud, Misinformation, Harassment
- Red Flags: Identifying Synthetic Media
- Business Risks and Controls
- Individual Response Strategies
- Organizational Response Playbook
- Detection Limits and Verification
- Ethical and Legal Considerations
- Rules of the Road: Cybersecurity Responsibilities at Work and Globally
- Cybersecurity Policies and Laws
- Workplace Responsibilities
- Building a Business Culture and Habits That Reduce Risk
- Cybersecurity Rules When Business Goes Global
- Travel Security: Protecting Devices and Data on the Road
- Incident Reporting and Response: What to Do When Something Looks Wrong
- Spot the Warning Signs: What Counts as a Cyber Incident
- The First Five Minutes: Stop, Think, and Limit the Damage
- Clicked the Link? Reporting Mistakes Before They Become Breaches
- Don’t Hide It: Fast Reporting and the Right Reporting Path
- Preserve the Clues: Saving Evidence Without Spreading the Threat
- High-Risk Incidents: Lost Devices, Account Takeover, Payment Fraud,
and Ransomware - After the Incident: Communicate Clearly and Learn Without Blame
- What’s Next: Future Cybersecurity Threats and Business Responses
- AI-Powered Cyberattacks: When Hackers Use Automation Against Us
- Shadow AI: When Employees Accidentally Leak Data Into AI Tools
- AI Agents as Insider Risks: When Helpful Bots Get Too Much Access
- Supply Chain Attacks: When Trusted Vendors Become the Weak Link
- Critical Infrastructure Attacks: When Cyber Incidents Affect Real Life
- Quantum Computing Risk: Encryption May Not Be Enough Tomorrow
- Cybersecurity Regulation and Accountability: When Compliance Becomes
a Business Requirement
Learning Goals and Results
At the conclusion of the course, the participants will be able to:
- Describe categories of cyberattacks and risk responses
- Recognize phishing email tactics, scam texts, AI-generated cyberattacks
- Understand how hackers manipulate people through social engineering
- Create stronger passwords and use password managers safely
- Protect online accounts with multi-factor authentication
- Reduce risk while using smartphones, laptops, and public Wi-Fi
- Identify ransomware warning signs and prevention strategies
- Better protect the employee, privacy, and sensitive information online
- Understand emerging AI-enabled scams, and deepfake threats
- Build cybersecurity awareness habits in the workplace
- Be Cognizant of Risks Working Globally and Traveling
- Respond Appropriately When Incidents Are Detected or Suspected
- Develop confidence navigating modern digital threats
Time Investment
This class is 40 hours of classroom time taken in two 2–hour sessions each week, over the course of 10 weeks.
Please Note: Course content and time investment can also be customized to an individual company’s needs.
CLASS SELECTION
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