Personal Technical Security: How to keep yourself safe

Name: Personal Technical Security: How to keep yourself safe
Rating: 4.6 (88 reviews)

A basic guide to keep your devices secure and your digital life safe!

Created byMichael Biocchi

Last updated 9/2021

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Understand security is both physical and digital and you must use good practices to stay secure
Understand how to stay secure online with HTTPS, MFA, cloud backups, encrypted DNS, and more
Understand the difference between security and privacy
Understand how to secure your communications including chatting, emails, video calls, and more

Course content

4 sections • 13 lectures • 1h 55m total length

Introduction3:16
Explore practical steps to secure your digital life, from physical device security and backups to password management and secure communications, guided by personalized threat models.

Introduction to Physical Security6:01
Explore physical security as the foundation of personal tech safety, securing devices from intruders and guarding IoT gadgets. Learn about threat models and end-to-end encryption concepts introduced later.
Laptop Security15:42
Secure your laptop by using long, unique passphrases, enabling auto-lock, and encrypting drives with BitLocker or FileVault; pair passwords with security keys for multifactor authentication and mindful threat modeling.
Phone Security9:26
Protect your phone by using a long pin or pin and fingerprint combination instead of biometrics, enabling built-in encryption, locking the sim, and enabling remote wipe.
Device Wiping7:15
Wipe your device before trade-in or giving away to prevent data theft, back up, then disconnect Google or iCloud accounts and perform a factory reset on Android or iOS devices.
Other11:05
Shred physical documents with a cross-cut shredder to prevent dumpster diving, and store papers in a fireproof safe; use wifi passwords and keep firmware updated on printers and smart devices.

Introduction to Digital Security3:29
Unpack digital security by demystifying tools, threat models, and end-to-end encryption, and show how easy-to-use solutions fit into your daily life.
Password Security12:19
Learn to secure passwords with a password manager like Bit Warden, enable multi-factor authentication via an authenticator app, generate long, strong passwords, and sync across devices for seamless access.
Browser Security7:48
Explore browser security basics across major browsers, adjust privacy and security settings, review site permissions, and enable protections like HTTPS-only mode and password breach checks for safer web browsing.
HTTPS and Extensions10:58
Discover how HTTPS secures web traffic, enable encrypted DNS, and use extensions like uBlock Origin, HTTPS Everywhere, and Clean URLs to boost privacy and safe browsing.
Backups9:16
Learn why backups protect you from ransomware and data loss, explore cloud and manual backup options, encryption, and how to choose a storage solution based on your threat model.
Updates8:26
Update devices and apps regularly, as background updates and reboots install security patches. Use protections like Microsoft Defender and Apple Protect, avoid sideloading, and practice safe browsing for layered security.

Requirements

No previous knowledge is required to take this course.

Description

Personal Technical Security is a course that answers the question that I receive the most: "What can I do to stay secure?"

This course will discuss both physical and digital security. We'll look at how to secure your computer, phone, router, and other devices. We'll also explore how to keep digital life safe with password managers, backups, encrypted DNS, multifactor authentication, and how to configure your browser to stay safe.

We'll also look at today's communication with email, instant messaging, chatting, video, and social media. What can you do to make sure you're safe and secure?

This course starts with the basics and gives recommendations on what you can do to stay safe.

This course is offered at a basic level and it is not a technical course. Anyone who wants to learn more about security and privacy will benefit from taking this course. You don't need to be a computer science major to take this! The course is taught mostly through video and there are quizzes at the end of each section. The video portion of the course is around 2 hours and the whole course should take around 3 hours to complete. I'll always be around to answer any questions you have!

Who this course is for:

Anyone who wants to improve the security in their lives and keep their devices and data safe.

Personal Technical Security: How to keep yourself safe

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 3min

Physical Security5 lectures • 49min

Digital Security6 lectures • 52min

Communications1 lecture • 11min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: