Cybersecurity tools and techniques - part 1

In this lesson

1. 0:00 Cyber security tools, techniques and reporting
2. 0:42 Forensic analysis fundamentals and three levels
3. 2:11 NIST incident handling guide and five stages
4. 4:50 Forensic analysis operating levels explained
5. 6:30 Malware analysis and reverse engineering
6. 7:45 Decompilation, disassembly and related techniques

About this lesson

containment and recovery, and post-incident review. You'll also explore malware analysis and reverse engineering, techniques that help security teams understand how malicious software works to prevent future attacks. This content is relevant to the Business and Technology module and forms part of your broader cybersecurity risk management knowledge. Forensic analysis operates across three critical levels. At the system level, you'll assess which parts of your infrastructure have been compromised and which remain secure. Storage level analysis examines how data has been corrupted or affected by the attack. Network level analysis investigates whether the threat came from external sources and what role your network played in facilitating the breach. Understanding these three dimensions helps you grasp the full scope and impact of any security incident. The NIST Computer Security Incident Handling Guide provides a structured four-stage response process. Preparation ensures your team has communication protocols, backup equipment, and resources ready before an attack occurs. Detection and analysis identifies attack vectors—the channels through which threats enter, such as emails or web applications—and helps you understand how the incident happened. Containment, eradication, and recovery stops the spread, removes malicious software, and restores your systems using backups. Post-incident activity focuses on lessons learned so you can strengthen defences and respond more effectively next time. Malware analysis uses reverse engineering principles to understand how malicious code works. By taking malware apart—a process sometimes called disassembly or decompilation—your team can identify the vulnerabilities it exploited and close those gaps. This hands-on investigation of malware specimens helps you prevent similar attacks and strengthens your overall cybersecurity posture.

Duration: 9m