- Online
- $475
This micro-course can be applied toward the UBC Certificate in AI Skills Accelerator for IT, Digital and Enterprise Systems Professionals and is the introductory level 1 micro-course in the AI and Cybersecurity track.
This foundational introductory-level micro-course is designed for IT and digital professionals to explore how AI is transforming cybersecurity. Gain crucial insights into the opportunities and challenges AI presents for cybersecurity and how it is revolutionizing threat detection, response capabilities and defensive strategies.
This micro-course is designed for IT professionals in managerial, project management, technical and leadership roles.
By the end of this micro-course, you'll be able to:
- Identify three common ML features used in phishing detection (URL entropy, sender SPF mismatch, body n‑gram probability).
- Explain how supervised models label ransomware behaviours by analyzing file‑system I/O patterns.
- Explain the purpose and scale of the anomaly‑score produced by Suricata ML jobs.
- Interpret a basic anomaly spike in network traffic and outline two plausible root causes.
- List common adversarial tactics, including prompt injection and evasion attacks.
- Identify two data‑poisoning vectors (label‑flipping, backdoor insertion) in AI security datasets.
- State the PIPEDA provisions that constrain AI‑powered security monitoring.
- Draft one policy clause that balances detection efficacy with privacy and consent obligations under PIPEDA and GDPR.
- Outline the shared‑responsibility layers for IaaS, PaaS and SaaS services. Map a basic threat model for an AI API hosted in AWS.
- Recognize examples of GenAI weaponization (deep‑fake spear‑phish, scripted reconnaissance).
- Explain first-line defences such as guard-rail prompts and API rate limits.
- Describe unique evidence artifacts in AI incidents (model hash, training data lineage).
- Tag log entries with correct forensics labels in sample data.
This micro-course requires basic cybersecurity knowledge, familiarity with network security principles and general IT infrastructure awareness.
Platform and tool selection varies and is regularly updated to reflect current industry trends. Students can expect to interact with:
- Virtual Machines and APIs
- SIEM platforms with AI capabilities
- Basic anomaly detection tools and dashboards
- AI-powered threat intelligence platforms
- Security analytics visualization tools
- Entry-level machine learning security applications
Course outline
- Module 1: AI Against Phishing & Ransomware
- Module 2: Real-time Monitoring & Anomaly Detection
- Module 3: Adversarial & Data Vulnerabilities
- Module 4: Balancing AI Security with Privacy & Compliance
- Module 5: Cloud‑Centric AI Security Risks
- Module 6: Hostile & Agentic AI Threats
- Module 7: AI Forensics Basics
- Mini-Capstone project and wrap-up
How am I assessed?
You will be assessed on successfully completing weekly activities, including exercises, quizzes, applied case study projects (based on real-life scenarios) and your contributions to discussion posts. These activities are marked using a proficiency scale, and your instructor provides you informal feedback during live online sessions.
While you are not assessed on your attendance of the live online sessions, we encourage you to attend so you can learn and interact with your instructor and other participants. All sessions are recorded in case you miss one.
This micro-course operates on a pass/fail basis. You must achieve an overall grade of 70% or greater to pass and be eligible to earn the UBC Certificate in AI Skills Accelerator for IT, Digital and Enterprise Systems Professionals.
Expected effort
Expect to spend approximately 14 hours per week per course, completing all learning activities, including attending live online sessions.
Requisites
Recommend completion of AI Foundations 1: Concepts and Tools and equivalent foundational AI cybersecurity knowledge.
Basic cybersecurity knowledge (understanding of common threats, security concepts), familiarity with network security principles, and general IT infrastructure awareness are required.
Course format
This 100% online part-time program consists of instructor-supported real-time classes combined with independent study.
Each micro-course will consist of a weekly virtual class taught by subject matter experts and a high degree of personal engagement and interactivity. Outside of class, you can access online materials on your own time.
One business day before the micro-course start date, we'll email you step-by-step instructions for accessing your micro-course.