Top Free Online Cybersecurity Certification and Courses in 2025

We are in 2025 now and the year is going to be revolutionary for the field of cybersecurity. In the past few years, we have seen how the number and cost of cybercrimes is increasing rapidly. Moreover, advanced technologies like AI have made cyberattacks more innovative and sophisticated while the proliferation of IoT devices and cloud computing has tremendously increased the attack surface. All these have led to fruiting and growing cybersecurity career path.

Now all organizations, irrespective of their size and industry, understand the importance of effective cybersecurity measures in place. They need skilled cybersecurity professionals who can help them plan, design, and implement cybersecurity solutions to identify and mitigate threats as well as strengthen their overall defense. The number of cybersecurity jobs is increasing with a lot of them still vacant. According to the BCG Cybersecurity Skillgap Report, around 2.7 million jobs are still unfilled. So, if you are looking to make a career in cybersecurity then it is time to master all the fundamental cybersecurity skills and get started in this rewarding career path.

Here are some of the free online cybersecurity courses that can help you learn the basics of cybersecurity and start your journey in this exciting world.

Introduction to Cybersecurity by SkillUp

It is one of the popular courses for beginners that help students gain the basic knowledge of cybersecurity. You will learn about various kinds of cyber threats, vulnerabilities that can arise in an organization’s security systems, the underlying mechanisms of threats, etc.

You will also learn about best cybersecurity practices, important techniques to protect an organization’s critical infrastructure and sensitive data, and other security measures including encryption, password management, incident response processes, and more.

Cybersecurity for Businesses – The Fundamental Edition by EC Council

This free online cybersecurity course from the EC Council is designed to provide learners with a clear understanding of cybersecurity concepts and how to implement them within the organization. It is best suited for business owners, IT business managers, or other IT professionals who have limited IT knowledge but want to learn cybersecurity to protect their digital assets.

After completing this course, you will have a better understanding of different ways to protect from cyber threats, identify important business data and techniques to prevent it from risks and develop a risk mindset to protect your business.

Cybersecurity for Everyone – University of Maryland

The Cybersecurity for Everyone course is offered by the University of Maryland and is available on Coursera. This free cybersecurity certification course is designed for everyone looking to get a broad understanding of cybersecurity irrespective of any technical or non-technical background.

From foundations of cybersecurity to standard cybersecurity policy considerations, and from governance to risk management, you can explore a wide range of topics in this course that can be applied to businesses, institutions, and nations. This can serve as a basic starting point to get started with your cybersecurity career in 2025.

SEC275: Foundations - Computers, Technology, & Security from SANS Institute

The SANS Institute is a globally renowned education and training provider known for its high-quality and in-depth cybersecurity training programs. Though their cybersecurity certifications and courses can be expensive, they also offer free online training to gain foundational cybersecurity skills.

The course covers essential topics like operating systems, networking, system administration, security, and more that serve as a great starting point for students and professionals looking to enter into this field by building a solid base of knowledge.

Cybersecurity Fundamentals from IBM

IBM offers several free resources for learning cybersecurity fundamentals through its IBM SkillsBuild program. This cybersecurity fundamentals specialization course is the perfect way to learn the cybersecurity fundamentals such as various types of evolving and emerging cyber threats, preventive measures, the evolution of cybersecurity, motivation behind cyberattacks, and more.

Anyone with technical or non-technical backgrounds including developers, managers, leaders, or any general digital consumer can benefit from this course.

These free online courses are a great way to get a basic understanding of cybersecurity and start your learning journey and you can build advanced skills upon this foundational knowledge.

However, if you make a strong foundation and master the fundamentals then we recommend earning the best cybersecurity certifications for beginners by the United States Cybersecurity Institute (USCSI®) – Certified Cybersecurity General Practitioner (CCGP™).

Certified Cybersecurity General Practitioner (CCGP™)

It is a beginner-level online self-paced cybersecurity certification program with a duration of 4-20 weeks that also offers learners free study material including eBooks, lecture videos, practice codes, and more to learn and clear the certification exam successfully.

The CCGP™ exam is of 100-minute duration and consists of 50 questions. Students need to score a minimum of 70% marks to successfully earn this certification and get their shareable digital badge to highlight their achievements on LinkedIn and other profiles.

This is an excellent program recognized in over 160 countries across various industries and earning this will help you master the essential concepts to get started with your cybersecurity career confidently.

Conclusion

With the increasing number and volume of cyber-attacks, organizations are always looking for skilled professionals who can lend their expertise to protect their important data, systems, and devices. With these free courses, you can start your journey towards a successful cybersecurity career by mastering the basic concepts of cybersecurity including the threats and prevention measures. If you want to start your career with confidence and recognition, then register for credible paid certifications like CCGP™ from USCSI®. The opportunities in this field are huge. So, start your cybersecurity learning journey now.