Udacity Cyber Security Nanodegree Review: Learn Cyber Security

About Me

Hello, My name Is Haneen Alghamdi, and today in this Udacity Cyber Security Nanodegree Review I will discuss and review the Udacity Cyber Security Nanodegree. 

Gradually I will try to share the details of the Nanodegree and hope it helps everyone who wants to know more about this program.

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My Motivation to enroll in Udacity

On 21 August 2021, I successfully completed Udacity Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree.

I am a Speech therapist, I love to learn and search about anything new, and I love to gain experience in multiple fields. 

Someday I was searching in Google and I saw a course announcement about Cybersecurity from Udacity. I read more about it, and I was so happy to enroll in it.

Udacity was already a popular and trusted online learning platform. Hence, I was already excited about this interesting, useful, and challenging journey in order to learn something new. 

My thoughts on Cyber Security Nanodegree Syllabus

The main content is the Online lectures and after some lessons, you will have a quiz about what you learn in the lesson, and you are expected to commit to them provided specific time in order to complete them.

Course 1: Cybersecurity Foundations

This course has 6 lessons in it and each lesson have 20 lecture. Let’s have a look at the lessons in this course.

Lesson 1: Cybersecurity Fundamentals/ Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn some basic methods to keep your computer and network safe. Also, you will be practicing and applying Cybersecurity to many situations, and there are lessons on what you learn in each one of them.

Lesson 2: What is Cybersecurity?

This lesson is about the security trend and how you can develop a successful career in Cybersecurity.

Lesson 3: Maintain a Secure Infrastructure

This lesson is about some Cybersecurity laws and basics, about security governance, compliance, along with other rules and regulations.

Lesson 4: Think like a Hacker

In this lesson, you will learn about the hacking lifecycle along with the basics of vulnerability, threat, and attacks.

Lesson 5: Security Defenses

In this lesson, you will learn about some basic and advanced methods to keep your computer and network safe.

Lesson 6: Applying Cybersecurity

This lesson is about practicing and applying cybersecurity to many situations.

Project 1: Securing a Business Network

Before you start the project you have to read and understand the “Project Specification” and there are some steps you should do it to succeed and pass the project.

It is the first project, and it was the easy one, I use the virtual PC for this project. 

This project was about Securing the PC, accessing the applications files, folders, and Basic Computer Forensics.

Course 2: Defending and Securing Systems

In this course, you will learn about defending and securing systems. This course has 5 lessons, let’s have a look at each of them.

Lesson 1: Introduction to Defending and Securing Systems

In this lesson, you will learn about defending and securing systems.

Lesson 2: Defending computer systems and security principles

In this lesson, you will learn about defending computer systems along with security principles.

Lesson 3: Securing Networks

In this lesson, you will learn about the other parameters that you need to take care of while securing your networks.

Lesson 4: Monitoring and Logging for detection of malicious activity

In this lesson, I learn how to effectively monitor and use logs of the detected malicious activity.

Lesson 5: Cryptography basics (Applied Cryptography)

In this lesson, I learned about cryptography and how to use the tools for encrypting files.

Project 2: Monitoring and Securing Douglas Financials Inc.

This project was a little bit hard for me and challenging because it has a lot of things to do and many steps you should know it if you study IT or programming.

As I don’t have any experience in it, this program was the first of it own kind to me.

In this project, you will have to use LINUX and the commands of it, and I searched in WEB and ask for some leadership and some friends in slack, but most things I do was search and self-teach. Currently, I am so happy to learn the Linux commands and use it.

This project have – 

1. Connecting, Reporting and Analysis:  You will demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the NIST framework, defense and documentation from Microsoft by performing an analysis of the security configuration on available servers.

2. Firewalls and IDS Configuration: You will demonstrate a basic understanding of firewall concepts and how to craft a simple firewall rule, and demonstrate a basic understanding of IDS concepts. You will also learn how to craft simple IDS rules and demonstrate a basic understanding of how to appropriately mitigate a threat via firewall alerts.

2. Encryption, Hashes and Linux: You will demonstrate the ability to ensure executables are legitimate by comparing a file hash with a known good copy or with a hash provided in advance and understanding of how to log certain events, in this case, failed RDP attempts, understanding of Linux permissions by creating a directory and then assigning appropriate permissions finally produce a narrative ‘status report’ that will tie all the projects together in the form of a report to management.

Course 3: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Incident Response

This course was about threats, vulnerabilities, and incident response, this course was having 5 lessons in it. Let’s have a look at each one of them – 

Lesson 1: Intro to the Course

In this lesson, you will get an introduction to the course. 

Lesson 2: Assessing the threat

This lesson cover threats, vulnerabilities, threat motivations, threat to organizations, and threat response.

Lesson 3: Finding Security Vulnerabilities

This lesson is about attack methods, scanning for vulnerabilities and penetration testing.

Lesson 4: Fixing Security Vulnerabilities

This lesson cover how to conduct vulnerability research, test and apply results, and how to prioritize and strategize the results.

Lesson 5: Preparing for Inevitable Attacks

This lesson about incidents, recovery, events, response lifecycle, and roles response plans.

Project 3: Navigating a Cyber Security Incident

This project helped me to summarize and profile a cyber threat, conduct a vulnerability scan, research, analyze and prioritize vulnerabilities, and finally document incident response actions.

It was easy project and I am so happy to learn it.   

Course 4: Governance, Risk, and Compliance

This course was a bit long and the hard one, but it was interesting at the same time. It has 6 lessons in it. Let’s have a look at each one of them – 

Lesson 1: GRC Overview

In this lessons will be outlining the basic course structure and discussing the prerequisites that you should possess before starting this course.

Lesson 2: Introduction to Governance, Risks, and Compliance

During this lesson, you will lay the groundwork for the rest of the course by developing for security GRC and briefly introducing how GRC roles function today.

Lesson 3: Governance

This lesson focuses on the rule of security governance, this is what puts the “G” in GRC.

Lesson 4: Risk

This lesson learn how risk management has evolved over time into today’s security risk management practice and explore some of the tools risk management use.

Lesson 5: Compliance

Compliance deals with a relatively structured approach to ensuring an organization meets their obligations to security standards through their security controls and practices.

Lesson 6: Audit Management

This lesson focuses on ensuring that audit go smoothly by developing an understanding of audit management fundamentals and how GRC professionals should plan for and remediate audit result.

Project 4: Create the SwiftTech GRC Program

Project 4 is the final project, and it was the easy one. It was having 3 files to work in it (Information-security policy, risk assessment, SwiftTech -diagrams).

It was about the SwiftTech Report and in the end of it you can apply the skills you have acquired to analyze data provided about a fictional technology company and create fundamental components of the company GRC program.

Also, you will identify potentially relevant compliance obligations, modify a risk management policy to meet the company’s specific needs, assess risks apparent in the company’s infrastructure leveraging common risk management frameworks, and develop governance activities to ensure security controls are operating as expected.

Cybersecurity Nanodegree Project Experience

Yes the overall project experience was challenging, interesting, useful and the reviews were clear and understandable, having a lot of information. 

If you don’t pass any projects, you receive a review with the hint for the solution to edit and pass.

The projects are worth the time and definitely worth to learn.

Also see -> Udacity Computer Vision Nanodegree Review: Master Computer Vision Skills

My views on Pricing 

My views on pricing is quite different, I didn’t pay anything to the program, but When I registered for the course I have exam in cybersecurity and I pass it, when I passed it I joined the course for free.

My views on Course Timeline

I dedicate two hours a day to studying and learning, I think two hours was enough to complete a lesson or two, after that if I have free time I use it to study.

Udacity features – 

Let’s discuss on some Udacity features in this Udacity Cybersecurity Nanodegree Review.

Mentorship:

My mentorship was Mohammed Al-Howsa. He was helpful, had the answer for anything we wanted, and is a motivator to learn.

And we have one day a week we meet in the Zoom meeting, and he gives us a lecture about some lessons that help us to complete the program and projects.

Project Reviews: 

It is so clear and understandable, and when you don’t understand how to solve, or you have a wrong solved, then there is always some hint on how you do the right one.

Career Services:

Career Services is one of the best features. It can help you to:

• Market yourself effectively with your elevator pitch.
• Optimize the essential LinkedIn profile components.
• Effectively describe your work experience and projects.
• Create a strong network by adding connections and joining groups. 
• Raise your LinkedIn visibility.

Pros and Cons of the Udacity Cyber Security Nanodegree

Now, let’s discuss the pros and cons of this Nanodegree in this Udacity Cybersecurity Nanodegree Review. 

Pros:

It’s an easy way to learn as you can learn anytime you want, it has a lot of Programs in various fields serving the labor markets, and they use SLACK apps to communicate the student with others and with mentorships, Administration. Each program in Udacity has a group for it to help students.

Cons:

I was happy with everything about Udacity. So as per my views, there were no Cons.

Check this out -> An Honest Udacity Review 2022| Best Online Coding Platform?

Conclusion: Do I recommend it to others?

Of course, Lots of people like to learn and stay informed. Hope you like this Udacity Cybersecurity Nanodegree Review.

Udacity has made it simple, easy, and affordable for those who love to learn and acquire new skills.

I think Udacity to be beneficial overall as a bundle containing technical mentor programs and career services, based on my experience with a Nanodegree program. It is also among the greatest websites for learning how to code.

Udacity is offering personalized discounts