Welcome to Week 3

In Week 1 you established the foundational concepts of cyber security and the CIA Triad. In Week 2 you explored how organisations manage information security systematically, through governance frameworks, security controls, risk management principles and compliance obligations. This week you apply and deepen that knowledge by focusing on the threats and vulnerabilities that make cyber security necessary in the first place.

Understanding the threat landscape is not the preserve of technical specialists. Every manager who handles data, oversees systems or leads a team that relies on digital technology needs a working understanding of what they are defending against, how attacks typically unfold, and how risk can be assessed and prioritised in a way that is proportionate, informed and practical.

This week draws on some of the most authoritative current data available, including the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2025, which analysed over 22,000 security incidents and 12,195 confirmed data breaches across 139 countries. It is the largest breach dataset ever analysed in a single report, and its findings have direct implications for how managers in every sector and every country should think about the risks facing their organisations.

This week you will:

• Understand the most significant types of cyber threats and attack vectors facing organisations today
• Explore how vulnerabilities arise in systems, processes and human behaviour
• Examine established risk assessment frameworks and tools that organisations use to identify and prioritise risk
• Develop practical threat analysis and mitigation strategies applicable to your management context
• Receive an introduction to incident response planning and the manager’s role within it
• Complete a risk assessment exercise and prioritisation activity grounded in a realistic scenario
• Complete a reflective homework task and a weekly knowledge check