Cybersecurity Foundations & Applied Defense

Cybersecurity Foundations & Applied Defense

Build the knowledge, analytical skills, and practical judgment needed to understand and defend modern digital environments.

Cybersecurity is more than firewalls, hacking tools, and technical vulnerabilities. Effective security requires understanding business risks, protecting critical assets, detecting threats, responding to incidents, and building resilient systems.

Written by Ayman Elmassarawy, this comprehensive textbook provides a structured, practical introduction to cybersecurity through real-world concepts, fictional business scenarios, guided exercises, and evidence-based security analysis.

What You Will Learn

• Cybersecurity fundamentals, digital assets, and risk assessment
• Network security, attack surfaces, and trust boundaries
• Identity management, authentication, and Zero Trust principles
• Cloud, endpoint, application, and data protection
• Security monitoring, log analysis, and threat detection
• Incident response, digital evidence, and investigation
• Threat-informed defense and security governance
• Defensive automation and human oversight
• Business continuity, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience
• Professional security assessment and reporting

Learn Through Practical Application

Across 12 comprehensive chapters, readers progressively develop their skills using the fictional Northstar Digital Services case study.

An independent final case, Cedarbridge Community Services, challenges readers to apply their knowledge to a new organizational environment.

The book also includes practical exercises, assessment activities, reference materials, reusable templates, and professional security worksheets.

Who Is This Book For?

• Students beginning their cybersecurity journey
• IT professionals transitioning into cybersecurity
• Junior security analysts and aspiring SOC professionals
• Network and systems administrators
• Professionals seeking structured cybersecurity knowledge
• Instructors looking for practical teaching resources

From Security Concepts to Professional Decisions

Rather than simply memorizing technical terminology, readers learn how to evaluate evidence, identify uncertainty, prioritize risks, recommend appropriate security controls, and communicate findings effectively.

Develop a stronger foundation in cybersecurity and learn to approach security challenges with the discipline of a professional analyst.

Cybersecurity Foundations & Applied Defense - Student Edition 2026

An EAU Open Learning educational publication.