The free, online short course runs over five weeks and will include an in-depth session on the Heartbleed cyber bug.
The course is being delivered by Erdal Ozkaya – a recipient of numerous cybersecurity education awards and presenter at security conferences all over the world. “If you enrol, you had better strap on your seat belt because Erdal’s lectures are pretty full on,” said CEO of IT Masters, Martin Hale. “The good news is that the lectures are recorded so you can go back over whatever you missed at the live sessions.”
He added: “One thing I can promise is that you will not be bored because Erdal’s enthusiasm is infectious and the information he presents is the very latest in cyber security best practice.”
The aim of the short course is to give students a taste of what it is like to undertake postgraduate study via distance education with Charles Sturt University.
The Hacking Countermeasures short course covers sections of ITE516: Hacking Countermeasures, a subject in the Information Systems Security Masters Degree at Charles Sturt University. As much as possible, the short course mirrors the format of the subject that it is based on including weekly lectures, weekly homework, and even a final exam,” said Hale.
A unique feature of the Master of IS Security is that a number of the subjects are designed to help students prepare for the world’s most popular cyber security certifications including CISSP and Certified Ethical Hacker.
“This mixture of the very latest in industry best practice combined with the rigour of academic assessments is unique and is one of the reasons that we have over 1000 IT professionals studying with Charles Sturt University and dominate the market for Aussie IT professionals who want to do a master degrees” said Hale.
The short course starts at 7pm on Wednesday 28th May with two hours of lectures and demonstrations. Students can get further info and enrol at http://www.itmasters.edu.au/free-short-course-hacking-countermeasures/.
CISO Insight
Cybersecurity is not a product you buy or a project you complete — it is a continuous operational discipline. The organisations that achieve genuine security maturity embed security thinking into every business decision, invest in people and processes alongside technology, and build resilience for the inevitable day when preventive controls fail.
The Evolving Cybersecurity Landscape
The threat landscape continues to evolve at a pace that challenges even well-resourced security teams. AI-powered attacks, supply chain compromises, ransomware-as-a-service, and state-sponsored campaigns create a multi-dimensional threat environment no single technology can address. Organisations that defend most effectively take a risk-based approach — understanding which assets are most critical, which threats are most likely, and where investments will have the greatest impact. For CISOs, translating this complexity into actionable strategy requires quantifying cyber risk in business terms, prioritising based on risk reduction, and communicating in language that resonates with non-technical stakeholders.
Building a Defence-in-Depth Strategy
Effective cybersecurity requires layered defences addressing the full attack lifecycle — from reconnaissance through exfiltration. No single control is sufficient; every control can be bypassed by sufficiently motivated adversaries. The goal is creating enough layers that attackers must overcome multiple independent defences, while ensuring detection and response capabilities identify and contain breaches before catastrophic damage. The most common mistake organisations make is treating security as a technology problem rather than a business risk management discipline. The fundamentals — patch management, access control, security awareness, incident response planning — prevent more breaches than any advanced technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest cybersecurity mistake organisations make?
Buying security tools without coherent strategy, skipping basic hygiene in favour of advanced solutions, and failing to invest in people and processes. The fundamentals prevent more breaches than advanced technology.
How should CISOs prioritise security investments?
Start with risk assessment identifying critical assets and likely threats. Prioritise controls for highest-risk scenarios. Ensure basic hygiene is solid before investing in advanced capabilities. Use NIST CSF or CIS Controls to structure your programme and measure progress with board-friendly metrics.
Related reading: Visit our Cyber Resilience Hub or download the CISO Toolkit for governance templates.