Knowledge Hub.

Cyber security fundamentals

How attacks work, in plain words: ransomware, phishing, malware and the flaws they use.

8 lessons

1. 01 What is malware? Malware is any software made to cause harm. The common kinds, how it gets onto a device, the signs to watch for and how to keep it out. Beginner/ 3 min read
2. 02 What is phishing? Phishing is a scam that impersonates someone you trust to get passwords, money or access. The main kinds, and why it keeps working. Beginner/ 3 min read
3. 03 How to spot a phishing email Six checks that catch most fake emails, and what to do in the first few minutes if you have already clicked. Beginner/ 2 min read
4. 04 How ransomware attacks work The three stages of a ransomware attack, how attackers get in, why they go after backups, and what to put in place before it happens. Intermediate/ 3 min read
5. 05 What is a software vulnerability? A vulnerability is a weakness in software that an attacker can use. Where they come from, how a patch closes one, and how fast to install it. Beginner/ 3 min read
6. 06 What is a zero-day vulnerability? A zero-day is a software weakness that attackers can use before a fix exists. What that means for a business, and what protects you meanwhile. Intermediate/ 3 min read
7. 07 What is a CVE? A CVE is the public reference number for one security vulnerability. Who assigns them, how to read one, and what a severity score adds. Intermediate/ 3 min read
8. 08 What is a DDoS attack? A DDoS attack floods a website or online service from many devices at once until real users cannot get through. How it works and how to prepare. Beginner/ 3 min read

Identity, passwords and access

Proving who is signing in: multi-factor authentication, passkeys, password managers and single sign-on.

6 lessons

1. 01 Multi-factor authentication: what it is and where to start A password plus a second proof that it is really you. The types, which are strongest, and the accounts to protect first. Beginner/ 2 min read
2. 02 How multi-factor authentication works What happens behind a text code, an authenticator app, an approval prompt and a passkey, and why only some of them stop a fake sign-in page. Intermediate/ 3 min read
3. 03 What is a password manager? A password manager creates, stores and fills in a different password for every account. What it does, how to protect it, and how to start. Beginner/ 3 min read
4. 04 What is a passkey? A passkey signs you in with your fingerprint, face or PIN, with no password to type. How it works, where it is kept, and what happens if you lose the phone. Beginner/ 3 min read
5. 05 Passwords vs passkeys: what’s the difference? A password is a secret you share with a website. A passkey shares nothing. How the two compare, and how a business moves from one to the other. Intermediate/ 3 min read
6. 06 What is single sign-on (SSO)? Single sign-on lets staff sign in once and open every work app. How it works, what it gives a business, and the one account you then have to protect. Beginner/ 3 min read

Data security and encryption

How data is kept unreadable to anyone who should not see it: encryption, certificates, TLS and hashing.

8 lessons

1. 01 What is encryption? Encryption uses a key to turn readable data into a scramble and back again. What it protects, where it stops, and what to check in your business. Beginner/ 3 min read
2. 02 Encryption at rest vs encryption in transit Data can be encrypted where it is stored and while it travels. What each one protects against, where each stops, and why you need both. Intermediate/ 3 min read
3. 03 What is end-to-end encryption? End-to-end encryption means only the people at each end can read a message. What that changes, what it leaves visible, and what to ask a provider. Beginner/ 3 min read
4. 04 What is public key encryption? Public key encryption uses two linked keys: one you share and one you keep. How the pair works, and where your business already relies on it. Intermediate/ 3 min read
5. 05 What is a digital certificate? A digital certificate ties a public key to a name, and a trusted authority signs it. What is inside one, who vouches for it, and why it expires. Intermediate/ 3 min read
6. 06 What is TLS? TLS is the protocol that secures a connection between two computers. What it promises, how the handshake works, and which versions to allow. Intermediate/ 3 min read
7. 07 What is hashing? Hashing turns any data into a short fingerprint that cannot be turned back. How it works, and why passwords should be stored this way. Beginner/ 3 min read
8. 08 Encryption vs hashing: what’s the difference? Encryption can be reversed with a key. Hashing cannot be reversed at all. What each is for, and which one should protect what. Intermediate/ 3 min read

Backups and disaster recovery

Keeping a copy you can get back: the 3-2-1 rule, the kinds of backup, and backup against archive.

4 lessons

1. 01 The 3-2-1 backup rule Three copies, two kinds of storage, one kept somewhere else. A simple rule that covers most of the ways data is lost. Beginner/ 2 min read
2. 02 Full vs incremental vs differential backups Three ways a backup decides what to copy each time, what each costs in time and storage, and what each one needs when you restore. Intermediate/ 3 min read
3. 03 What is cloud backup? Cloud backup keeps a copy of your data with a provider over the internet. How it works, and why Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace is not one. Beginner/ 3 min read
4. 04 Backup vs archive: what’s the difference? A backup is for getting back to work after a loss. An archive is for keeping records you must be able to find years later. Why you need both. Intermediate/ 3 min read

Cloud computing

What the cloud is and how it works: service models, virtual machines, containers and serverless.

7 lessons

1. 01 What is cloud computing? Cloud computing means renting computing over the internet instead of owning it. The five features that define it, and what they mean for a small business. Beginner/ 3 min read
2. 02 How cloud computing works What sits behind a cloud service: data centres and regions, virtualisation, a meter on what you use, and security duties shared with the provider. Intermediate/ 3 min read
3. 03 Public cloud vs private cloud vs hybrid cloud Public, private and hybrid describe who a cloud is built for. What each one means, how they really differ, and how a small business can choose. Intermediate/ 3 min read
4. 04 What is software as a service (SaaS)? SaaS is software the provider runs for you and you use over the internet. What the provider looks after, what stays with you, and what to ask before signing up. Beginner/ 3 min read
5. 05 What is a virtual machine? A virtual machine is a computer made of software, running on a physical one. What a hypervisor does, why businesses use them, and what to look after. Beginner/ 3 min read
6. 06 What is a container? A container packages one application with the files it needs. How it differs from a virtual machine, why developers use containers, and what to ask about yours. Intermediate/ 3 min read
7. 07 What is serverless computing? Serverless means the cloud provider runs the servers and you pay only when your code runs. How it works, where it fits, and what to ask a developer. Intermediate/ 3 min read

Cloud platforms and storage

The three big platforms side by side, and the kinds of storage they sell.

6 lessons

1. 01 What is Amazon Web Services (AWS)? AWS is Amazon’s cloud platform. What it rents out, where its Australian data centres are, how it charges and which security jobs stay with you. Beginner/ 3 min read
2. 02 What is Microsoft Azure? Azure is Microsoft’s cloud platform. What it rents out, where its Australian data centres are, how it charges and which security jobs stay with you. Beginner/ 3 min read
3. 03 What is Google Cloud Platform (GCP)? Google Cloud is Google’s cloud platform. What it rents out, where its Australian data centres are, how it charges and which security jobs stay with you. Beginner/ 3 min read
4. 04 AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: what’s the difference? The three big cloud platforms rent out much the same things. What they share, the differences a small business would notice, and how the choice is made. Intermediate/ 3 min read
5. 05 What is cloud storage? Cloud storage keeps your files on a provider’s equipment and delivers them over the internet. Where the data lives, how safe it is and who can read it. Beginner/ 3 min read
6. 06 Object storage vs block storage vs file storage Cloud providers sell three kinds of storage. How object, block and file storage each hold data, what each is used for and which one a job needs. Intermediate/ 3 min read

Websites, hosting and domains

What happens between typing an address and seeing a page: domains, DNS, hosting, HTTPS and CDNs.

9 lessons

1. 01 How does a website work? What happens between typing a web address and seeing the page: the browser, the name lookup, the server and the files it sends back. Beginner/ 3 min read
2. 02 What is a domain name? A domain name is the readable address of your website and email. How names are built, who may hold a .au name, and why renewal matters. Beginner/ 3 min read
3. 03 What DNS is, and why your business depends on it DNS turns your domain name into the addresses that run your website and email. What the records mean, and how to change them safely. Intermediate/ 2 min read
4. 04 What is web hosting? Web hosting is the service that keeps your website on a server and delivers it to visitors. The main kinds, and what to ask a host. Beginner/ 3 min read
5. 05 Domain name vs web hosting: what’s the difference? The domain name is the address and the hosting is where the website lives. Why they are separate, and why the business should hold both logins. Intermediate/ 3 min read
6. 06 What is HTTPS? HTTPS is the encrypted way a browser talks to a website. What it protects for your visitors, what it does not, and how to turn it on. Beginner/ 3 min read
7. 07 HTTP vs HTTPS: what’s the difference? HTTP sends web pages in the open and HTTPS sends them encrypted. What visitors see in the browser, and what moving a site to HTTPS involves. Intermediate/ 3 min read
8. 08 What is an SSL certificate? An SSL certificate proves a website belongs to its domain name and lets browsers encrypt the connection. Who issues one, and why it expires. Beginner/ 2 min read
9. 09 What is a content delivery network (CDN)? A CDN keeps copies of your website on servers in many places, so each visitor is served from one nearby. What it speeds up and what it cannot. Intermediate/ 3 min read

Search and website performance

Being found and being fast: how search engines read a site, caching and Core Web Vitals.

4 lessons

1. 01 What is search engine optimisation (SEO)? SEO helps search engines understand your website and helps people find it. How Google finds and ranks pages, and what SEO cannot promise. Beginner/ 3 min read
2. 02 What is technical SEO? Technical SEO is the part that makes sure search engines can reach, read and store your pages. What robots.txt, sitemaps and canonical addresses do. Intermediate/ 3 min read
3. 03 Core Web Vitals, explained Three measurements Google uses to judge how a page feels to use: how fast it loads, how quickly it responds and how steady it is. Intermediate/ 2 min read
4. 04 What is website caching? A cache keeps a copy of your web pages so they load faster. Where the copies live, why an edit sometimes does not show, and how to clear them. Beginner/ 3 min read

Networks and business IT

The equipment in the comms cupboard and what it does: addresses, routers, firewalls, VLANs and VPNs.

6 lessons

1. 01 What is an IP address? An IP address is the number that tells the internet where a device is. What IPv4 and IPv6 look like, who hands addresses out, and what to ask. Beginner/ 3 min read
2. 02 Public IP vs private IP addresses A public address can be reached from anywhere. A private one only works inside your office. What that means for remote access and hosting. Intermediate/ 3 min read
3. 03 Router vs switch vs access point: what’s the difference? A router joins your office to the internet, a switch connects wired devices, and an access point provides Wi-Fi. How to tell which one you need. Intermediate/ 3 min read
4. 04 What is a firewall? A firewall decides which network traffic may pass and which is blocked. The two kinds, what a firewall cannot stop, and what to check on yours. Beginner/ 3 min read
5. 05 What is a VLAN? A VLAN splits one office network into several separate ones on the same cables. What it is used for, and the equipment it needs. Intermediate/ 3 min read
6. 06 What is a VPN? People use “VPN” for two different things: a secure link to the office network, and a privacy service. What each one does and does not do. Beginner/ 3 min read