Cyber Security Fundamentals: online course for South Africa
A beginner course in how organisations are attacked and how they defend themselves, taught online and at your own pace. It suits South African graduates and TVET students who want a practical first step into security work in banking, telecoms or mining.
Course fee R2,470 · or start with R247 · pay with Card · EFT
Payments in South Africa open soon. The first lesson is free to try now.
Who this course is for in South Africa
It is written for graduates, university and TVET college students, and young professionals. No previous experience is needed.
- Graduates and TVET students who want an entry point into security, risk or IT support work
- Staff in banks, insurers and telcos who handle personal information under POPIA
- Helpdesk and IT support staff who want to move towards a security operations role
Where these skills are used in South Africa
The course's industry pathways most relevant here: Banking · Telecoms · Mining.
- Banking and insurance
- Banks and insurers protect payments and personal information, and need people to detect fraud and respond to incidents.
- Telecoms
- Operators run security operations for their networks, customer records and digital services.
- Mining
- Mines run operational technology and control systems, which the course's oil & gas IT/OT pathway also applies to.
See what South African employers are advertising right now on our latest jobs board for South Africa, updated daily.
South African laws and regulators to know
The lessons are the same in every country and use Nigerian regulation as their worked examples. They teach the principles, not South Africa’s law in detail, so read these alongside the course:
- Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)
- Governs how personal information is processed and requires security safeguards and breach notification; enforced by the Information Regulator.
- Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020
- Defines cybercrimes and sets duties on reporting certain offences.
What you’ll learn
| Day | Topic |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Cyber threats and vulnerabilities, and thinking in risk |
| Day 2 | Passwords, authentication and multi-factor authentication |
| Day 3 | How networks work: OSI model, TCP/IP, segmentation |
| Day 4 | Network security: firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs and monitoring |
| Day 5 | Phishing, business email compromise, smishing and vishing |
| Day 6 | Malware and ransomware, and how organisations respond |
| Day 7 | Risk management: assets, risk registers, third-party risk |
| Day 8 | Access control, least privilege and insider threats |
| Day 9 | Incident response: the six phases, detection and triage |
| Day 10 | Security awareness, remote work and physical security |
| Day 11 | Cloud security and the shared responsibility model |
| Day 12 | Data protection: classification, encryption, breach notification |
| Days 13–18 | Sector pathways: oil & gas (IT/OT and SCADA), banking (payments and fraud) and telecoms |
Every lesson is illustrated and has a matching video. Each day ends with a short quiz and an assignment, and the course finishes with a capstone project you can show employers. It is self-paced with lifetime access, and you can try the first lesson free before paying.
Your certificate, and what it isn’t
Your Paleon certificate of completion shows you finished the course and its capstone. It is not a QCTO-registered qualification and it is not an international certification such as CompTIA Security+ or ISC2 CC; many learners use this course as the foundation before attempting those.
When you finish, including the capstone, we help you write a CV that presents your project as real work, and provide a reference confirming what you completed. We teach skills; we don’t promise jobs.
Who runs the course
Paleon Training Limited is an online training company registered in Nigeria (Warri, Delta State), with operations in the United Kingdom. There is no Paleon office in South Africa: the course is taught entirely online, and you can reach us by WhatsApp on +44 7508 823495 or at hello@paleontraining.com.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an IT background?
No. The course starts from first principles and builds up to networks, cloud security and incident response.
Does it cover POPIA?
The data protection lesson covers classification, encryption and breach notification in general terms, with Nigerian regulation as the worked example. Read POPIA and the Information Regulator's guidance alongside it.
Is it a registered qualification?
No. It is a practical online course with a certificate of completion, not a QCTO-registered qualification or learnership.
How much is it, and how do I pay?
R2,470 for the full course, or start with a R247 deposit. Payment in South Africa is by card or EFT.
Training a whole team? See CyberSecure Workforce, our cybersecurity awareness programme for employers in South Africa.
Training a team of specialists? See the AI + Cybersecurity Professional Accelerator for employers in South Africa.
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