Course Syllabus

Module 1: Cloud Security Foundations & Risk Management (5 h)

Topics: Shared responsibility model, CIA triad, cloud threat modeling, risk frameworks (NIST, ISO, CSA CCM), compliance (GDPR, HIPAA)
Description: Start with core cloud security principles, risk assessment methodologies, and relevant standards.
Features: Case-study reviews, interactive threat-modeling exercises based on real-world cloud breaches

Module 2: Identity & Access Management in the Cloud (5 h)

Topics: IAM design, federation (SAML/SCIM), MFA, role-based and attribute-based access controls, zero-trust
Description: Secure user & service identities across providers with modern access controls.
Features: Config labs with AWS IAM, Azure AD federation, and ABAC policy enforcement .

Module 3: Infrastructure & Network Security (5 h)

Topics: Virtual networks, subnets, VPCs, micro-segmentation, perimeter controls, VPN, firewall rules
Description: Architect secure network boundaries within public and hybrid clouds.
Features: Live environment labs correcting insecure architecture patterns .

Module 4: Data Protection & Encryption (4 h)

Topics: Data lifecycle, encryption at rest/in-transit, key management, BYOK, tokenization
Description: Ensure data confidentiality and integrity using cloud-native tools.
Features: Workshops using KMS/CMK, data masking, and secure backups .

Module 5: DevSecOps & Secure Configuration (5 h)

Topics: IaC scanning (Terraform, CloudFormation), container and serverless security, SAST/DAST in CI/CD
Description: Shift security left in pipelines to catch misconfigurations early.
Features: Hands-on pipeline integration with static analysis and policy-as-code.

Module 6: Cloud Identity Threat Monitoring & Logging (5 h)

Topics: Cloud logging (Stackdriver, CloudTrail, Azure Monitor), SIEM integration, anomaly detection
Description: Build detection capabilities for anomalous behaviors and attacks.
Features: SIEM ingestion labs, threat hunting on cloud logs .

Module 7: Incident Response & Cloud Forensics (5 h)

Topics: IR playbooks, forensic artifacts (snapshots, logs), chain-of-custody, disaster recovery
Description: Develop processes for investigating and recovering from cloud breaches.
Features: IR tabletop simulation and live closure drills in AWS/Azure.

Module 8: Cloud Penetration & Security Testing (4 h)

Topics: Reconnaissance, misconfig detection, privilege escalation, API testing, Burp Suite, Metasploit
Description: Simulate real attacker techniques to uncover cloud gaps.
Features: Labs on broken ACLs, metadata harvesting, cross-service attack vectors.

Module 9: Multi-Cloud & Emerging Trends (4 h)

Topics: Secure architecture across AWS/Azure/GCP, supply-chain risks, ML-based defenses, Zero Trust
Description: Address challenges in hybrid/multi-cloud and adopt advanced defense strategies.
Features: Adaptive policy labs using reinforcement learning concepts .

Module 10: Capstone Simulation (2 h)

Description: Integrated team-based exercise covering threat modeling, misconfiguration detection, IR response, and remediation.
Features: Capture-the-flag style challenge in real cloud environments .