CYBER COMPASS
Secure guide to the digital world
Welcome to the unique course on cybersecurity!
Locking a door every morning. Always keeping your wallet safe. Managing life and liability insurance. We live our lives cautiously because everyone keeps thinking, “what if...”. But what happens when it comes to digital technologies?
On the contrary, we throw caution away in the digital world or we try to avoid technology altogether. However, there is a better way, which involves recognizing that cybersecurity is a life skill that will enable you to:
Take control
Gain confidence and self-assurance in the cyber world and prepare for an inevitably digital future.
Be better at what you do
Acquire practical tools for the 21st century and a solid foundation to explore digital opportunities.
Live more comfortably
Avoid inconveniences more easily, simplify many tasks, and protect yourself and your loved ones better.
Cyber compass is not a university textbook. It is a deliberately minimalist course designed to provide practical advice and a safe direction toward the possibilities of the digital world, the world we live in.
Lessons content and structure
- At the beginning of each module, you will learn what we have prepared for you.
- We recommend going through our open course sequentially, as the modules often build on each other.
- In the final module, you will find a summary that you can print and refer to during moments of uncertainty.
Fifteen minutes of your time
- The course consists of five modules.
- Each module takes about fifteen minutes to read.
- They include small challenges and more time-consuming guides, with their time allocation indicated at the beginning of each section with this icon.
What will you learn in our course?
We have selected practical information and prepared understandable guides to help you take responsibility for yourself in the cyber environment. Invest in yourself and acquire skills that universities, employers, and especially you will truly appreciate and utilize. From now on, it’s up to you!
How not to get tricked in cyberspace?
Humans are fallible, and that’s perfectly okay. However, in cyberspace, this is a trait that attackers most frequently exploit, as confirmed by our team's experience. You will learn how to recognize and defend against the manipulative technique of phishing in the first module.
How properly are your treasures guarded?
It’s the passwords that protect your (online) identities, valuables, and data. In the second module, you will learn how to create a passphrase (the strongest yet easiest to remember), how to handle passwords, and discover the practicality of a password manager which streamlines the way you handle passwords.
What if someone gets your password?
That’s when multi-factor authentication comes in, a backup digital parachute you don’t want to risk going without. For you, it means greater security, and for attackers, a significant obstacle. In the third module, you will learn about the methods you can use for authentication and how to practically implement them.
How to create an effective defense from small things?
The boundary between your online and offline world is blurring, so why use a double standard for security?
It’s time to give all digital devices the appropriate care. We will clearly cover antiviruses, updates, backups, screen locking, and much more in the fourth module to keep your devices secure.
How to better protect your privacy?
Your privacy and data are valuable. It makes sense to protect them. Everything starts with conscious control of your digital footprint, especially on social media. It is also good to be aware of the benefits of encrypted communication and to know the significance of VPN tools. You will learn about all of this in our fifth module.
Not saying goodbye: the journey doesn’t end here
It’s challenging to start thinking differently about many things. Therefore, we have a few things for you at the end. One of them is the Cyber Cheatsheet, which is a summary of what you learned in the course. You can print it and use it as a guide to return to all course modules. It’s simply a tool for your safe direction.
Who is behind the course?
People from the whole Masaryk University contributed to making this course awesome. Don't expect tech geek language – the Cyber Compass was created not just by IT professionals, but also by designers, learning specialists, and copywriters.
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We made sure the course is understandable to the broad academic community: from a first-year student finding their way, to a lecturer with ten years of experience, to busy registrars.
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But that doesn’t change the fact that you can rely on the content: contrary to random articles or recommendations (and equally often, fatal mistakes) posted online, you will always find up-to-date and verified information in this course.
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Every single hint, suggestion, or tutorial was reviewed multiple times by specialists from CSIRT-MU cybersecurity team (Institute of Computer Science at Masaryk University), but also by external consultants.
Course Authors
RNDr. VÍT RUSŇÁK, Ph.D.
Víťa leads the Awareness and training group within Masaryk University's Cybersecurity Team. He ensures the course's long-term direction is consistent with the strategic objectives of the Institute of Computer Science. He is also the uncompromising slayer of bad ideas.
Mgr. et Mgr. MARTIN HORÁK
Martin, the brain of the whole course with a knowledge base in cybersecurity, law, service design, and many other areas, focused not just on managing the course development, but also on technical content.
Mgr. et Mgr. HANA MATĚJKOVÁ
Hanka combined her knowledge of pedagogy, online learning design, and copywriting to create a user-friendly (readable, understandable, and neat) learning experience; therefore, she was responsible for creating the form of the Cybercompass.
Bc. PETRA MIKULOVÁ
Petra has been focusing on cyber-education for quite some time. Petra especially ensured that no tricky question was left unanswered and unexplained in a way appropriate to the needs of learners.
Mgr. DÁVID MAGUŠIN
Dávid primarily focuses on user needs analysis and the subsequent preparation of educational materials. His goal is to enhance users' cybersecurity in the way they most prefer. With his knowledge in Security and Strategic Studies, he perceives new trends and the broader context, which he utilizes when updating the course.
Mgr. PAVEL BREJCHA
Pavel is also a graduate of Security and Strategic Studies and currently focuses on preparing educational courses, popular articles, and teaching. He engages in similar activities at Fakescape, focusing on media literacy and cybersecurity. This allows him to bring new impulses to Kyberkompas and, along with Dávid, take care of its updates.
RNDr. JAN VYKOPAL, Ph.D.
Jan teaches cybersecurity and explores how to teach it better. In this course, he was the key contributor of expert knowledge – from choosing the type and structure of instructions to their usability for the general user.
PhDr. PAVLA VIZVÁRY, Ph.D.
Pavla is a specialist in cybersecurity and online education. She reflected the ideas of the team and led it to precise the content and form of the course.
CSIRT-MU CYBERSECURITY TEAM EXPERTS
CSIRT-MU team members continuously improved the course, primarily its technical aspects. So, they guarantee the quality of the content that you can dive into in just a few seconds.
We wish you that acquiring self-confidence and awareness in cyberspace will bring you nothing but joy.
Last update: 8. 7. 2024