Cybersecurity Basics - Exam

The Cybersecurity Basics exam can be taken after participating in the three workshops Confidential Communication in the Internet, Digital Identities and Cyberthreats by Malware.

Information on the courses:

Confidential Communication in the Internet

• The Internet is an open network, data is transferred on open channels. Hence data could be eavesdropped on and manipulated
• To secure data, technologies and methods for Encryption and Digital Signatures need to be applied

Goal of the Course:

• Sensibilize users at the risks of data transfer in the Internet
• Introduce protection measures by cryptographic technologies and their application in the real world

Digital Identities – Who am I on the Internet?

• To use a digital service Online-Banking, Social Media or Online-Shopping a digital identity is needed
• Digital identities need to be established, verified, bound to a physical person and are of extremely high interest for cybercriminals

Goal of the Course:

• Introduce digital identities and the topic of identity management
• Presentation of different methods of authentication and verification
• Hints how to secure digital identities against attacks

Cyberthreats: Malware

• Malware – malicious software – is one of the biggest threats on the Internet
• Targets of malware can be multi-million dollar-companies as well as private computers, laptops, or smartphones!

Goal of the Course:

• Introduce different types of malware together with the cyber-attacks which they enable
• See, how one gets infected
• Discuss, how to protect own systems

Examination

You can start the exam at any time within the exam period (August 31 - September 27, 2022). The test contains equal parts of questions from all three courses mentioned.

If you choose to take the qualified certificate, please allow some time for the registration process. It may take up to 48 hours to calibrate your photo. The Hasso Plattner Institute recommends crediting 2 ECTS credits upon achievement of the qualified certificate.

Exam Time: 2 hours

Pattern: 60 questions (Multiple Choice/Multiple Answers)

Eligibility Criteria:

• Participation in the 3 Workshops Confidential Communication in the Internet, Digital Identities, Cyberthreats by Malware

• Proof of a Confirmation of Participation in each of the three workshops (access of at least 80% of the learning material)

Exam preparation

There is the possibility of self-study, through self-tests offered in each of the three courses. Learning material is provided in the form of short learning videos, interactive quizzes, and tasks, forum discussions on several topics as well as other related material. The quizzes can be taken multiple times through the recap feature, which shuffles the questions during each attempt. Homeworks from the courses are available as self-tests even after the course has been completed. Moreover, there is a possibility to fast-track all three courses and the exam in August/September.

Format

The examination format is flexible, to suit the participants. There is the opportunity to self-study for the exam. The results of the individual courses/participation in the weekly assignments in the individual courses are not relevant for the final Cybersecurity Basics examination.

Certificates available

For each course

Confirmation of Participation

• For all learners that worked on at least 80% of the material

Record of Achievement

• For all learners that have successfully completed the marked weekly assignments (50+% points)

Overall (after taking the exam)

Record of Achievement

• Available for learners that received confirmations of participation for each of the three courses and successfully completed the combined exam

Qualified Certificate (with 2 ECTS points)

• Same requirements as for the Record of Achievement

• Online proctoring during the final exam

Compatibility with German courses/Cybersecurity series

openHPI offers a similar course series on the topic in German. The courses in German are Datensicherheit im Netz, Digitale Identitäten, Blockchain - Sicherheit auch ohne Trust Center.

Even though the content in two of three courses is almost identical, the course series are not interchangeable. This is because the Cyberthreats by Malware course is completely new. If a participant has already completed some/all of the German courses, we highly recommend completing the three English courses as well, since it will be a good exam preparation.