This learning module introduces learners to the legal, regulatory, and governance foundations of modern cybersecurity. It begins with core cybersecurity concepts, including the CIA triad, threat actors, attack lifecycles, and the broader importance of cybersecurity for individuals, organisations, and society. These foundations help learners understand how cybersecurity connects not only to technical protection, but also to legal responsibility, ethical conduct, and organisational decision-making.
The learning module then explores the main cybersecurity laws and compliance frameworks shaping practice today, with particular focus on the European context. Learners are introduced to key instruments such as NIS2, GDPR, DORA, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the EU AI Act, alongside the practical obligations they create for organisations. It also examines how artificial intelligence introduces new legal, ethical, and security challenges, and how these can be addressed through proportionate safeguards, governance measures, and secure-by-design practices.
In addition, the learning module addresses ethical principles in cybersecurity, information-systems governance, and the practical application of compliance through case studies and real-world scenarios. By the end of the module, learners will be able to explain core cybersecurity and compliance concepts, identify major EU regulatory requirements, analyse ethical and governance issues, and connect legal and policy expectations to practical cybersecurity actions.
