10 Best Cybersecurity Courses & Certifications (Free & Paid)

Cybersecurity classes, courses, and training solutions are an excellent way for IT professionals to stay ahead of emerging cybersecurity threats.

We’ve reviewed some of the most highly renowned and reputable cybersecurity courses and certifications on the market to bring you a list of the best solutions to expand your education.

10 Top Cybersecurity Online Courses

1. Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate (IBM)
2. Cybersecurity Professional Certificate (Google)
3. Cybersecurity Analyst (Microsoft)
4. The Complete Cyber Security Course (Udemy)
5. Introduction to Cyber Security (FutureLearn)
6. AWS Certified Security Specialty (Udemy)
7. Cyber Aces (Sans Institute)
8. IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts (Google)
9. The Complete Cyber Security Course! (StationX)
10. Essentials of Cybersecurity Professional Certificate (edX)

1. Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate (IBM)

Designed to prepare professionals for a career in cybersecurity, the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate guides students through the strategies used to evaluate digital threats.

With no prior knowledge of cybersecurity required, this beginner-friendly training course is ideal for those just entering the workforce or switching fields.

What you’ll learn?

Covering many trending topics in the field, like endpoint protection, network security, and incident response, these cybersecurity classes will help professionals to protect clients, businesses, and shareholders from countless cyber-attacks.

With a hands-on approach to education, the course ensures learners can get a behind-the-scenes look at experts' tools and methods to protect their client's online assets.

You’ll explore SIEM tools, network fundamentals, and threat intelligence. There are also topics covering the importance of compliance to preserve cybersecurity in the workplace.

Open-source security tools are available in the course, so you can try applying the processes you learn to real-life scenarios. Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to:

• Map the key cybersecurity roles and responsibilities in an organization
• Describe the architecture of various file systems and tools in a digital workforce
• Assess the threat landscape of a network and any database vulnerabilities
• Understand cybersecurity compliance frameworks and system administration
• Perform penetration testing initiatives and gather cyber threat intelligence

There’s also a “capstone” project and an assessment to examine how well you’ve grasped the concepts introduced throughout the course.

How much does it cost?

At approximately $49 per month, the Coursera course will cost a total of $392 for a full 8 months of access. This should give you all the time you need to complete the content, split into 8 lesson sections. A 7-day free trial and financial aid are available for those needing extra support.

2. Cybersecurity Professional Certificate (Google)

The Google Cybersecurity Certificate is a Google career professional certification for building job-ready skills in the cybersecurity space. No prior experience is required, making it a perfect choice for beginners.

It includes eight courses covering all aspects of cybersecurity, from incident identification to mitigation and prevention.

Experienced Google employees prepare the lessons, and upon completion, you are awarded a professional certification from Google.

The courses also prepare you for the CompTIA Security+ exam.

Unlike other cybersecurity courses, with this course, you can build several projects as part of the coursework, which you can use to enrich your portfolio.

Another advantage to students finishing the course is access to the Google Job Board, where you can share your CV with other prestigious tech companies looking for Cybersecurity professionals.

What you'll learn?

After completing this course, you'll be able to:

• Explain what cybersecurity is and why it's important for all organizations.
• Identify cybersecurity threats and be able to mitigate them.
• Build the skills needed to protect data from unauthorized access and cyberattacks.
• Use SQL queries to analyze and report on data
• Use Python to automate common cybersecurity tasks
• How to work with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools, including Chronicle and Splunk, and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), including Suricata

How much does it cost?

The total cost of this certificate is $245. You can finish all courses and get certified in 5 months, provided you study 10 hours weekly. The subscription costs $49 monthly.

3. Cybersecurity Analyst (Microsoft)

The Microsoft cybersecurity analyst certificate is a foundational certification that enables students to enter the cybersecurity industry.

On attaining this certification, you'll gain essential cybersecurity skills that will allow you to apply for various cybersecurity roles.

Every course is meticulously curated by Microsoft's security experts, ensuring an in-depth understanding of the cybersecurity realm. This program is accessible to all, with no prerequisite experience required for certification.

What you’ll learn?

This certificate program consists of 9 comprehensive courses addressing the core elements of cybersecurity. As an aspiring analyst, you'll gain insights into your responsibilities, understand how to oversee networks for potential threats, and discover techniques to counter prevalent attacks.

The program blends interactive quizzes and video content to illustrate the practical integration of cybersecurity principles in real-life scenarios.

You'll gain hands-on experience ensuring cybersecurity within an Azure framework, utilizing tools like MS Defender and Azure Active Directory.

Additionally, you'll be well-equipped with the necessary knowledge to pass the Microsoft SC-900 certification examination.

How much does it cost?

The total cost to get the Microsoft Cybersecurity Analyst Certificate is $294. The course is available through a monthly subscription that costs $49 per month. Microsoft recommends dedicating 6 months to this program.

4. The Complete Cyber Security Course (Udemy)

The cyber security training offered by the “Complete Cyber Security Course” aims to give students a practical skillet for defending against various online threats, from hackers and trackers to malware.

Promising an up-to-date experience focusing on the latest challenges to hit the threat landscape, this online course supports both beginners and intermediate learners. You will need a basic understanding of operating systems, the internet, and networks.

What you’ll learn?

Volume 1 (of 4) in the “Complete” cyber security course is the introductory cybersecurity learning experience offered by Udemy and educator Nathan House. It shares the latest information and up-to-date methods in tackling an ever-more complex threat landscape defined by dark markets, zero-day vulnerabilities, exploit kits, and phishing.

The training experience offers an in-depth look at the changing nature of security in the virtual landscape and introduces methods for reducing threats. You’ll learn how to use physical and virtual compartmentalization and virtualization, leverage sandboxes for testing, and master encryption.

The course begins with introductions to “quick wins” in security and the terms you may need to know in today’s threat landscape. As you progress through the 13 sections of course content, you’ll learn how to:

• Assess threats, security vulnerabilities and adversaries, and the tools to beat them
• Leverage the “zero trust” model to enhance privacy and security measures
• Track malware, viruses, rootkits, spyware, phishing, and other threats
• Identify new trends like social engineering and CPU hijackers
• Set up testing environments using virtual machines
• Reduce threat privilege and implement security domains

There’s also a handy “bonus” lecture on starting a cybersecurity career.

How much does it cost?

The first section of the four-part “complete” course costs $99.99. To purchase the whole set of four, you’ll pay a total of $399.96. A 30-day money-back guarantee is included with every course, and each purchase comes with full lifetime access, with regular updates to the content.

5. Introduction to Cyber Security (FutureLearn)

100% online and available to take at your own pace, the cybersecurity classes from The Open University teach students the essentials of protecting data in a digital world.

The eight-week course explores how students can recognize and prevent online security threats from damaging any online ecosystem.

No prior knowledge is needed, and APMG International, the Institute of Information Security Professionals, and NCSC accredit the course.

What you’ll learn?

Anyone interested in improving their knowledge of online security can benefit from this course. Designed to deliver a hands-on and engaging learning experience, these classes introduce you to the current threat landscape one step at a time, covering everything from malware and networking to cryptography and firewalls.

Students will learn how to identify various threat types, like malware, phishing, and hacking, and they’ll also learn how to mitigate issues through risk analysis and management.

There’s guidance on recovering from attacks, business continuity, and following cyber security laws.

For 8 weeks, this industry-accredited course focuses heavily on keeping networks secure in a digital age. You’ll learn how to:

• Identify information assets as well as the main types of malware in a modern business
• Implement firewalls, virtual private networks, and network intrusion prevention tools
• Apply basic risk analysis and management techniques
• Describe and use basic authentication methods for access controls and privacy
• Implement cryptography for email as well as other applications
• Recover from significant cybersecurity failures

How much does it cost?

Students can enroll for unlimited access to the course monthly, starting at around $30 per month, for a total cost of $60 for the full 8 weeks.

You’ll need to commit at least 3 hours of weekly study to complete the course on time. Alternatively, you can buy the course at a one-off cost of $79. It’s also possible to try the course with limits for free, but there’s no certification for this version.

6. AWS Certified Security Specialty (Udemy)

As one of the primary cloud and technology giants on the market, AWS (Amazon Web Services) is responsible for powering a huge number of business transactions.

The AWS Certified Security Specialty is a cyber security specialist course built to prepare you for the AWS industry exam. It focuses heavily on the AWS environment and best suits those working in a business or corporate environment with an AWS ecosystem.

What you’ll learn?

This course prepares students for one of the digital industry's most widely recognized security certifications. Empowering students to master the security aspects of the AWS environment, the course explores various real-world scenarios, looking at why websites and businesses are hacked.

It also discusses what business leaders could do to stop common attacks.

Though you’ll need hands-on experience in AWS to get started, the course is relatively straightforward and has various quizzes to prepare you for exams. There’s also a direct course instructor support available.

As you progress through the 7 sections of the course, you’ll learn about navigating the AWS environment safely and exploring concepts like incident response, penetration testing, and data protection. Topics covered include how to:

• Leverage “GuardDuty” in AWS for security preservation and deal with exposed keys
• Use Amazon Detective and Incident Response in the cloud
• Log and monitor potential vulnerabilities.
• Implement layer 7 firewalls and configure AWS Systems Manager and Sessions Manager
• Improve governance within an AWS environment
• Empower teams with strong access management and IAM policies

A selection of practice tests will prepare you for your examination at the end of the course.

How much does it cost?

This course costs $34.99 to access 27.5 hours of lectures and videos, as well as a host of practice tests and educational resources. You’ll also be able to access a certificate of completion. Udemy courses include a 30-day money-back guarantee and full lifetime access.

7. ​​Cyber Aces (Sans Institute)

SANS Cyber Aces Online is one of the top cyber security certifications for specialists looking to hone their skills in securing digital networks. Developed from a library of professional development resources, this course material is regularly updated to keep pace with the changes in the threat and technology landscape.

It’s packed with videos and tutorials and can be accessed as open courseware anytime on any device.

What you’ll learn?

Split into 3 key modules, this simple but powerful educational experience offers an engaging and self-paced way to learn about current cyber security threat vectors.

Intended for newcomers to the security field, this learning experience won’t require any prior knowledge of the industry, but you will need VMware and two virtual machines.

Module 1 of the cyber security classes starts with an overview of operating systems and command line usage. The first half looks at Linux, while the second focuses on Windows, covering topics like OS backgrounds and configuration and core commands and user groups.

The second module looks at security in networking. There’s a broad view of the network environment, covering the fundamental concepts needed to understand computer attacks and defenses from a network perspective.

You’ll learn about data links, addressing, masking, routing, communication, and transport layers.

The third module focuses on system administration, providing learners with the tools required to perform common administrative functions in popular scripting environments. You’ll examine PHP and PERL in an Apache web server, as well as GNU BASH and Microsoft PowerShell scripting.

How much does it cost?

The SANS Cyber Aces course is free to access and take at your own pace, with each of the three modules broken down into easy-to-follow videos. Though there’s no certification at the end, there are a lot of valuable skills you can take with you from each lesson.

8. IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts (Google)

Part of the Grow with Google Initiative, the IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts course provides beginners with a behind-the-scenes look at a host of crucial IT security concepts.

You’ll learn about the various threats and risks plaguing the digital environment and how they can affect modern businesses. This course also comes with subtitles in a range of languages to suit a variety of international learners.

What you’ll learn?

Google’s cybersecurity classes start with an introduction to the three “A’s” of information security: authentication, authorization, and accounting. From there, students learn about network security solutions, like firewalls and Wi-Fi encryption options, in-depth security architectures, and other tools.

Over 6 weeks of lessons, organized into bite-sized videos, readings, and quizzes, this course will ensure you know everything there is to know about common security threats. The fun and engaging learning experience is ideal for beginners, starting with an introduction to security threats in the modern age.

You’ll begin by learning about the steps in defining and recognizing security risks and how security often revolves around the CIA principle. Other topics include:

• Cryptology and how common encryption practices work to secure teams
• How to choose between asymmetric, symmetric encryption, and hashing
• Choosing methods for authentication, authorization, and access granting
• Securing networks and using VPNs for network protection
• Using host-based firewalls, anti-malware protection, and disk encryption
• Creating a company culture around security

How much does it cost?

The course costs $39 per month to access through Coursera, with a 7-day free trial available for beginners and financial aid packages on offer. While the course is split into 6 weeks, you can easily complete the 24 hours of content within your first month with the right pacing.

9. The Complete Cyber Security Course! (StationX)

Expand your knowledge of the cybersecurity environment with a start-to-finish overview of the entire threat landscape as it stands today. This extensive cyber security training experience combines four different courses to take you to an expert level in your security knowledge.

The courses include video lectures, articles, and various other resources. There’s even guidance on how to stay secure with all major operating systems.

What you’ll learn?

Designed to give learners advanced skills for digital preservation, this cyber security course covers all the major environments where professionals need to be vigilant in the digital age.

The course aims to help beginners with no prior knowledge of the cybersecurity world how to stay safe in an evolving landscape.

You’ll be able to define forms of cybersecurity threats when they emerge in your corporate landscape and determine the right strategy for reducing risks. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how to seek out and destroy hackers and malware from the inside out.

The four-section course covers hackers, network security, endpoint security, and anonymous browsing. During the lessons, you’ll learn how to:

• Patch, protect, and encrypt network environments across various operating systems
• Implement Wi-Fi and connectivity-focused security measures
• Leverage different methods of authentication and password managers
• Strengthen security with VPNs and Proxy servers
• Access bulletproof hosting strategies and stay vigilant with offline connections
• Seek out and destroy malware in your ecosystem

How much does it cost?

The full four-module course is currently available for a discount price of $65, though it usually costs $500. The price comes with a certificate of completion after you’ve completed the full 50 hours of training and a test. A 200-page eBook and access to a VIP forum are also included.

10. Essentials of Cybersecurity Professional Certificate (edX)

The professional Certificate in the Essentials of Cybersecurity empowers students to discover a new career in the evolving security space. Through four skill-building courses you can take at your own pace, you’ll discover how to define different roles and responsibilities in the threat landscape and how to defend against common threats.

The course is endorsed by the Cyber Business Analytics team.

What you’ll learn?

Over 6 months of learning, paced at around 2-5 hours of education per week, these cybersecurity classes will demonstrate the relationship between management strategies and technologies in protecting against cybersecurity threats. You’ll learn how to identify appropriate security controls and use them to defend against evolving threats.

The course also provides an excellent opportunity for introspection, helping students to assess their own knowledge, skills, and abilities when identifying a path for their cybersecurity career. The program's goal isn’t just to teach students about cybersecurity and help them understand the new career paths emerging in the field.

Throughout this course, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify and understand common cybersecurity threats
• Assess the role of the Chief Information Security Officer in the modern world
• Build your own essential cybersecurity toolkit with firewalls and malware protection
• Define a potential career path in cybersecurity
• Examine the technologies and tools available to stop security threats

How much does it cost?

The full course currently costs $681, a discounted price for the full experience, complete with specialist instructor guidance. At the end of the course, you’ll also get a Cybersecurity Professional Certificate to demonstrate your knowledge.

Are Cyber Security Online Courses Worth It?

Cybersecurity threats are becoming more significant all the time, particularly in a post-pandemic environment. The rise of remote working and a new age of digital transformation has opened the door for a host of new threat vectors for companies and individuals alike.

As the threats continue to expand, the demand for professionals capable of safely navigating the risky online landscape is increasing. Currently, a cybersecurity expert in the US can earn an average of around $60.03 per hour, helping companies to stay safe.

With cyber security online courses, you can develop all the skills you need to guide and protect businesses in the fight against growing virtual threats. Cyber security courses can help you to:

• Identify and understand common cybersecurity threats and the measures you must implement to protect clients and businesses.
• Track potential threat vectors across an evolving network, even in the age of hybrid work, and use tools like VPNs for anonymous browsing.
• Leverage powerful tools like malware detection and firewalls to reduce the risks in your ecosystem and monitor potential issues.
• Create a company culture around security and implement measures for access controls and authentication to keep privacy consistent.
• Remain compliant with local and federal information and data security standards in a competitive world.
• Empower teams to leverage more secure practices when accessing digital tools and interacting with data online.

Methodology

To help you choose the best cybersecurity course, we’ve looked for actionable courses from reputable Cybersecurity companies and training academies.

After going through all the courses, we recommend taking a course from a high-tech company such as Google or IBM. These companies actively practice cybersecurity, and their courses can teach you more than theory. These courses are also a good starting point for beginners.

Start with the free courses to get an idea of what cybersecurity is and how it works, and if you decide that this is a career you want to follow, enroll in a paid course.

Related Courses and Certifications

Besides building your cybersecurity skills, you can also consider the following courses and certifications: