EDHarvard University · on edX
CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity
Beginner 20 hours English Professional CertificateFREE
What you'll learn
Recognise common attacks (phishing, brute force, SQLi)
Understand viruses, worms, botnets and ransomware
Use MFA, password managers and strong authentication
Grasp encryption, hashing and digital signatures
Apply firewalls, updates and secure deletion
Reason about security as a risk/usability trade-off
This course includes
20h
On-demand video
Yes
Certificate
Yes
Mobile access
English
Language
Comparison · LBS
Compare alternatives for CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity
Same topic, different options. We surface the trade-offs others hide so you can pick the course that actually fits your time, budget, and goals.
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CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity
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Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
- Price
- FreeAudit free · Cert $49/mo
- Duration
- 180 hrs
- Level
- Beginner
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Prices & availability can change — confirm on the provider's site. We're not affiliated with any single provider.
Instructor
DJ
David J. Malan
edX instructor
— learners— courses — instructor rating
Taught by David J. Malan, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science at Harvard and the instructor behind the globally popular CS50 series.
Requirements
- No prior experience required
Who this course is for
- Technical and non-technical learners
- Anyone protecting their own data and devices
- Beginners exploring a cybersecurity career
About this provider
ED
edX
Non-profit online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT. 45M+ learners worldwide.
4.5 trust score
Frequently asked questions
Yes — you can audit it for free. An optional verified HarvardX certificate is available for a fee.
No — it's explicitly designed for technical and non-technical audiences, with no prerequisites.
This is a broad, accessible Harvard intro; RIT's Cybersecurity Fundamentals and Network Security go deeper and more hands-on toward a MicroMasters. Start here, go deeper there.
Five weeks at 2–6 hours per week, fully self-paced.
You can earn an optional verified HarvardX certificate; the learning is the same whether you audit or pay.