Encryption Academy: Introduction to Encryption

What you'll learn

• You will learn how encryption normally works and use tools to quickly encrypt data on your PC.
• You'll learn how a digital signature can protect the integrity of data and how to sign your documents.
• You will learn how to secure your identity with a digital certificate and where you can get a free certificate.
• As a bonus, I'll introduce you to Yubikey, which allows you to perform 2-factor authentication as well as sign your data.

Requirements

• No IT prerequisites required.

Description

Welcome to the "Introduction to Encryption" course. Encryption is an important part of cybersecurity because it can protect data from unauthorized access.

COURSE LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY 2023

Beginners welcome: no need to know anything about Encryption!

The "Introduction to Encryption" course is your first step into encryption if you want to better secure your data and identity. If you've never had anything to do with encryption before, then this is the course for you.

This course "Introduction to Encryption" is one of 4 courses available in the Encryption Academy for Beginners and you will learn three important topics already here. And we'll take a look at these now.

In the "Introduction to Encryption" course you will get an introduction to three important topics to better secure your data:

1. "Hard- and Software encryption"
   Nowadays we store important data on our notebooks and often we use portable USB devices to transport data. What happens if you lose these devices? Encryption can protect you from others being able to use your data. I will give you a short introduction to what encryption means and how it works in general. In the practical exercises, I will show you how to use a few small tools to encrypt your data quickly and easily.
   
2. "Digital Signature"
   The second big topic is digital signature. For example, when you send emails to your customers, how do they actually know that your emails are authentic? Any email format can be copied these days. In the SPAM folder we often get emails that look like they were sent by real companies but were created by hackers.
   
   How do your recipients know that your emails are really from you?
   
   In the course "Introduction to Encryption" you will learn how a digital signature works and how any data can be protected against manipulation.
   
   In the practical exercise I already show you in the first course how you can calculate hash values over any files.
   
   In this course I will also show you how to protect your PDF documents in Adobe Reader with a signed timestamp. With a timestamp you can have your document signed and thereby prove that your document existed at that time. I'll show you how to do that in this tutorial.
   
3. "Digital Certificate"
   The third major topic you will learn in this academy is called "Digital Certificate". How can you actually protect your digital identity? When you sign your e-mails or documents, for example, you need a confirmed digital identity. Each of us has an ID card, which we use to authenticate ourselves in the analog world. In the digital world, we can legitimize ourselves with digital certificates.
   
   In the course "Introduction to Encryption" I explain briefly how a digital certificate works. In the practical exercises I already show you how you can get a free digital certificate quickly and easily. This certificate is only for testing purposes. But you will already learn what is actually contained in it. You should already understand what information about you is secured. Additionally, I will show you how to sign a PDF document in Adobe Acrobat with this certificate.
   
4. Bonus: "Password based Authentication" and "2-Factor Authentication"
   As a bonus, I added the topics "Password based Authentication" and "2-Factor Authentication" in the first course. When we digitally authenticate ourselves on the Internet, we usually use a password. In this course I show you the disadvantages of password based authentication and how a second factor can improve the security of your access. In the practical exercise, I will show you the USB device YubiKey, which can be used for 2-factor authentication.
   
   But the Yubikey can do even more. I'll show you how to store your certificate with key material on it, for example, to digitally sign a PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.

Join me in this course if you want to learn how encryption works and and which tools you can use to protect your sensitive data.

Who this course is for:

• For anyone who wants to secure their data and identity with encryption.