Cybersecurity Awareness for Government, Education, and Workplaces
A 30-minute annual-refresh course on the everyday choices that stop account takeover, ransomware, and data loss — built for state and local agencies, school districts, universities, and the vendors who work with them.
What you'll learn
- Recognize the common attack paths — stolen passwords, phishing emails, fake IT calls, and unpatched devices — that put your organization and the people it serves at risk.
- Protect your accounts with strong unique passwords stored in a password manager and multi-factor authentication, with a preference for phishing-resistant methods like passkeys and security keys.
- Spot modern phishing across email, QR codes, text messages, voice calls, and collaboration tools, and verify unusual requests through an independent channel before you act.
- Keep managed and personal devices safer by applying updates promptly, installing software only from approved sources, and refusing unsolicited remote-support or 'update now' prompts.
- Share files responsibly in cloud tools, use the narrowest sharing scope that gets the work done, and recognize when something has been overshared.
- Recognize the early signs of ransomware and double-extortion, understand why restoring backups does not undo data theft, and escalate immediately rather than attempting to fix it yourself.
- Report suspicious activity promptly through your organization's established channel — including incidents where you clicked, approved, shared, or installed something you shouldn't have — without fear of blame.
Requirements
- A workstation, laptop, tablet, or phone with a modern browser.
- Audio or captions enabled so you can follow the narrated video for each module.
- No prior cybersecurity knowledge required — this course is designed for all staff.
Course content
8 chapters · 7 lectures · 32m total
Module 1 — Your Role in Security
Why employees are the single most important layer of defense, how attackers actually get in, and why reporting is the one habit that cuts the cost of every incident. Sets the frame for the rest of the course.
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Module 1 — Your Role in Security
Why employees are the single most important layer of defense, how attackers actually get in, and why reporting is the one habit that cuts the cost of every incident. Sets the frame for the rest of the course.
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Your Role in Security Free preview4 minutes
Module 2 — Passwords and MFA
Why passwords alone no longer protect accounts, how MFA closes most of the gap, and the practical differences between SMS codes, authenticator apps, passkeys, and security keys.
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Module 2 — Passwords and MFA
Why passwords alone no longer protect accounts, how MFA closes most of the gap, and the practical differences between SMS codes, authenticator apps, passkeys, and security keys.
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Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication5 minutes
Module 3 — Phishing and Social Engineering
What modern phishing actually looks like in 2026 — not just email, but QR codes, texts, voice calls, Teams and Slack messages, and fake IT help-desk calls that bypass MFA. How to verify out-of-band before you act.
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Module 3 — Phishing and Social Engineering
What modern phishing actually looks like in 2026 — not just email, but QR codes, texts, voice calls, Teams and Slack messages, and fake IT help-desk calls that bypass MFA. How to verify out-of-band before you act.
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Phishing and Social Engineering5 minutes
Module 4 — Devices, Updates, and Downloads
Why unpatched devices are the easiest attack surface, how to install software safely, and how to spot the fake-update prompts and malicious downloads that compromise more laptops every year than any single exploit.
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Module 4 — Devices, Updates, and Downloads
Why unpatched devices are the easiest attack surface, how to install software safely, and how to spot the fake-update prompts and malicious downloads that compromise more laptops every year than any single exploit.
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Devices, Updates, and Downloads4 minutes 30 seconds
Module 5 — Safe Browsing and Cloud Sharing
Not every link is safe, even from colleagues. How to recognize risky links, avoid credential-stealing sign-in pages, and share files in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox, or Box without accidentally exposing citizen or student data.
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Module 5 — Safe Browsing and Cloud Sharing
Not every link is safe, even from colleagues. How to recognize risky links, avoid credential-stealing sign-in pages, and share files in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox, or Box without accidentally exposing citizen or student data.
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Safe Browsing and Cloud Sharing4 minutes 30 seconds
Module 6 — Ransomware Basics
What ransomware actually does to an organization, how modern 'double-extortion' means backups alone no longer solve it, and the early warning signs every employee should know so IT can isolate before the damage spreads.
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Module 6 — Ransomware Basics
What ransomware actually does to an organization, how modern 'double-extortion' means backups alone no longer solve it, and the early warning signs every employee should know so IT can isolate before the damage spreads.
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Ransomware Basics4 minutes 30 seconds
Module 7 — Report Early
The single highest-leverage habit from the entire course. How to report, when to report, what to include, and the organizational commitment that there is no blame for honest reporting — even after you clicked, shared, or approved.
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Module 7 — Report Early
The single highest-leverage habit from the entire course. How to report, when to report, what to include, and the organizational commitment that there is no blame for honest reporting — even after you clicked, shared, or approved.
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Report Early — How, When, and Why Speed Matters More Than Perfection4 minutes 30 seconds
Final Assessment
A 12-question scenario-based quiz covering all seven modules. You need 80% or higher to pass and earn your completion certificate. You may retake the assessment as many times as needed.
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Final Assessment
A 12-question scenario-based quiz covering all seven modules. You need 80% or higher to pass and earn your completion certificate. You may retake the assessment as many times as needed.
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Final Assessment — Cybersecurity Awareness Foundations