Foundations of Cybersecurity, 2nd Edition

This comprehensive introduction to the information security field covers the industry's essential concepts, using real-world security breaches to illustrate key lessons. "An excellent starting point for future security professionals." --Help Net Security Cybersecurity is a huge field, and breaking in can feel overwhelming. Where do you start when the territory spans everything from cryptography to cloud security to social engineering? In Foundations of Cybersecurity , you'll learn how security professionals actually think about protecting systems. You'll start with core principles like authentication, authorization, and access control, then build outward into network defense, operating system hardening, application security, and security operations. Each chapter introduces concepts in context, showing how they connect to real decisions you'll face on the job. This updated second edition covers: How attackers think: the threat landscape, social engineering tactics, and the kill chain How defenders respond: SOC operations, incident response, and vulnerability assessment The business side: governance, risk management, compliance frameworks, and penetration testing Securing what's new: AI systems, IoT devices, and cloud-native architectures Building your career: paths into security, certifications that matter, and the soft skills that separate good analysts from great ones Hands-on projects throughout will have you apply what you've learned, from classifying real threat actors to designing detection rules to building a security awareness program. Whether you're coming from IT or a completely different field, this book gives you the conceptual foundation to understand what cybersecurity professionals do, why they do it, and how to become one.

Cybersecurity is critical to protecting data, systems, and people. Whether you're new to the field, an IT professional strengthening your skills, or a manager shaping security policy, Foundations of Cybersecurity provides the knowledge and practice you need. Building on the first edition (Foundations of Information Security), this updated guide covers the essentials: authentication, authorization, and auditing; cryptography; security architecture; threat assessment; network and OS hardening; application and IoT security; incident response; compliance; and the human factors attackers exploit. You'll learn how to: Apply the core principles of security across systems and networks, Defend against emerging threats like AI-driven attacks and IoT vulnerabilities, Manage incident response and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), Strengthen defenses against social engineering and insider threats, Explore career paths and skills for a future in cybersecurity. What's New in This Edition: Includes a new chapter on AI security, expanded coverage of security operations and governance, and practical 'Down the Rabbit Hole' labs in every chapter to help you practice real-world skills. Whether you're new to the field, strengthening your skills, or guiding a team, this book will help you build a solid foundation for protecting systems, data, and people.