Core Issues in Digital Trust and Security

Who this course is for

The Core Issues in Digital Trust and Security course is designed for individuals and organisations who want to move beyond basic awareness and develop a practical understanding of digital risk in today’s fast-moving digital landscape. 

For individuals, this course is relevant if you want to understand how your everyday use of technology across devices, platforms and online services creates exposure to risks that are often difficult to see or fully understand. It will help you make more informed decisions about your data, privacy and digital activity. 

For organisations, the course supports staff across a range of roles who need to understand how their actions, decisions and use of systems shape organisational risk. This includes those involved in operations, policy, service delivery or data handling, as well as teams contributing to risk management. 

The course is particularly useful if you are looking to: 

• move beyond surface-level cybersecurity guidance and understand how risks develop in real-world contexts; 
• recognise how individual behaviours affect wider systems and organisations; 
• contribute more effectively to decisions about digital risk, security and trust. 

No prior technical knowledge is required. The Core Issues in Digital Trust and Security course is designed to be accessible while still providing the depth needed to apply your learning in real-world contexts. 

What you will learn

You will develop a clear understanding of how digital risk operates in a hyperconnected environment. 

This includes: 

• how vulnerabilities arise in connected systems and everyday activity; 
• how different actors, from individuals to organised groups and nation states, exploit those vulnerabilities; 
• how data, access and trust are managed across systems; 
• how cyber incidents develop from initial access through to impact; 
• how evolving technologies create new forms of risk. 

You will use case studies and guided tasks to apply this understanding to your own context. 

Where and when you will study

This course is delivered fully online over 10 weeks, with around 50 hours of learning. 

You will work through structured materials at your own pace, including short lectures, case studies and guided activities. 

How it will benefit your career

You will gain a clearer, more practical understanding of how digital risk develops and how it affects everyday decisions in your role. You will be better equipped to understand, question and act on risk in your day-to-day work. This supports more effective decision-making, earlier identification of risks, and a clearer understanding of how individual actions influence wider organisational outcomes. 

By the end of the course, you will be able to: 

• recognise where vulnerabilities exist in systems, processes and everyday activity; 
• understand how individual actions and decisions shape wider organisational risk; 
• identify potential issues earlier and respond in a more informed and confident way; 
• contribute more effectively to decisions about cybersecurity, risk and digital trust. 

These skills are valuable in roles that involve working with data, digital systems or services. They also support more confident decision-making, stronger awareness of risk, and a clearer understanding of how everyday actions can affect wider organisational outcomes. 

The course is organised into weekly topics covering key aspects of digital trust and security. 

Each week introduces core concepts and applies them through examples and structured reflection. This will allow you to connect the material to your own experience. 

The final stage brings these elements together and prepares you for assessment.