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Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Information Technology

Threat Actors and Motivations

IT305 · Cyber Security — Week 4 of 16

CourseIT305
Week4 of 16
SemesterII
TutorOnline in the course chat

This week’s topics

Threat Actors and Motivations

  1. White hat vs black hat hackers
  2. State-sponsored threat groups
  3. Hacktivism and cyber espionage
  4. Insider threat behaviours
  5. Threat Actors - CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 - 2.1
  6. Hackers & Cyber Attacks: Crash Course Computer Science #32

What you will be able to do

  • 2.2 Compare typical behaviours of good actors and bad actors.

Activity

Start with this week’s 3 videos, then: Seminar, guided reading and a short written task: compare typical behaviours of good actors and bad actors.

Study materials

Videos

  • Threat Actors - CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 - 2.1 · YouTube · Professor Messer · 10 min · for registered students
  • Hackers & Cyber Attacks: Crash Course Computer Science #32 · YouTube · CrashCourse · 12 min · for registered students
  • Computer hacking and hacktivism · YouTube · OpenLearn from The Open University · 5 min · for registered students

Further resources

  • Computer Security Fundamentals, ch. 1: Hacker slang and penetration testers · PDF · Other, textbook chapter; pp. 17–18 · for registered students
  • Security Engineering (3rd ed.), ch. 2: Who Is the Opponent? · PDF · Other, textbook chapter; pp. 17–61 · for registered students
  • ENISA Threat Landscape 2025, 9: Hacktivism · PDF · Enisa, guidance; pp. 49–50 · for registered students
Materials marked “for registered students” open in the student portal, which is set up as soon as you receive final acceptance.
Week 3Week 5
Course chat

Admitted students ask questions on this week’s page in the student portal: an AI assistant trained on the course answers first, and during the course’s timetabled classes Connect to your tutor brings your tutor into the chat, who may start a call if needed.

Open this week in the portal
Course plan
  • Week 1: Fundamentals of Cyber Security
  • Week 2: Business Importance of Cyber Security
  • Week 3: Consequences of Inadequate Security
  • Week 4: Threat Actors and Motivations
  • Week 5: Vulnerable Industry Sectors
  • Week 6: Deconstructing Threats, Exploits, Vulnerabilities, and Risks
  • Week 7: Cyber Threat Intelligence Concepts
  • Midterm: Midterm evaluation
  • Week 9: Network Security Architecture
  • Week 10: Technical Countermeasures and Security by Design
  • Week 11: Continuous Network Improvement and Incident Response
  • Week 12: Applying Cyber Security in practice: case studies
  • Week 13: Assignment workshop: research, planning and referencing
  • Week 14: Assignment workshop: drafting, feedback and improvement
  • Week 15: Review and coursework completion
  • Final: Final assessment and submission
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