Introduction to Security

Intense & Hands-on

The course is fast-paced and highly practical. Every concept must be applied to be fully understood, and each topic is practiced hands-on to deepen your knowledge and build real experience. It also equips you with the technical skills needed to meet the requirements of the EU’s NIS2 cybersecurity directive.

From Zero to Hero

The course is open to anyone who is tech-savvy and familiar with command line knowledge. Previous security experience is not a requirement. You will learn networking, security fundamentals, pentesting, and defensive strategies. In one semester, you will exploit vulnerabilities, attack web pages, and use machine learning for defense.

Certificate of Completion

Upon completing the course, students will receive a certificate of completion the Czech Technical University in Prague (Pro Tier). This is an official certificate valid across the EU. Successful completion of the Free Tier version is acknowledged by Stratosphere Laboratory certificate.

Red Teaming

Attack-focused classes will give you real-world experience on how attacks work, how to make them happen, and how hard and fun is to exploit a remote computer. This is essential knowledge to learn to defend better.

Blue Teaming

Defense-focused classes will give you real-world experience on one of the most difficult jobs in cybersecurity: how to defend. From system hardening and network forensics to using Machine Learning detection models to detect malware.

International Team

Our teaching team is composed of individuals of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and experiences. We all share a common passion for teaching and are dedicated to ensuring all our students have good learning experiences.

• ✔ Access to all course lectures
• ✔ Access to the local cyber range
• ✔ Access to live tutorial streams
• ✔ Access to support materials
• ✔ Access to the course communication platform

• ✔ Access to all course lectures
• ✔ Access to the local cyber range
• ✔ Access to live tutorial streams
• ✔ Access to support materials
• ✔ Access to the course communication platform

• ✔ Cloud-based cyber range
• ✔ Weekly hands-on assignments
• ✔ Final exam
• ✔ Certificate issued by the Czech Technical University in Prague

• ✔ Access to all course lectures
• ✔ Access to the local cyber range
• ✔ Access to live tutorial streams
• ✔ Access to support materials
• ✔ Access to the course communication platform

• ✔ Cloud-based cyber range
• ✔ Weekly hands-on assignments
• ✔ Final exam
• ✔ Winter break bonus assignment
• ✔ 6 ECTS credits

Sebastian Garcia

Sebastian is an Assistant Professor and security researcher specializing in applied machine learning for network traffic and malware detection. He founded the Stratosphere Laboratory at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Committed to digital rights, he advocates for free software and ML tools. Co-founder of MatesLab hackspace in Argentina and the Independent Fund for Women in Tech.

Maria Rigaki

Maria is a PhD student from Greece. She is focused on adversarial applications of machine learning in cybersecurity. She spent many years in the industry as a software developer and systems architect. Maria has plenty of experience designing and integrating complex systems in telecommunication and emergency response. In her spare time, she enjoys hacking, playing music, and playing chess.

Ondřej Lukáš

Ondra is a PhD student from Czechia. He is focused on explainable AI applications in cybersecurity. He is a member of the Stratosphere Laboratory at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He is a lecturer in the AI Dětem, an initiative to educate and guide teachers on how to educate in artificial intelligence. He likes to play sports, travel, and cook. Passionate football fan.

Veronica Valeros

Veronica is a researcher born in Patagonia, Argentina. She researches on cybercrime, honeypots, intelligence analysis, and helping teams to be more efficient. She works at the Stratosphere Laboratory while pursuing a second master’s in Intelligence and Security Studies from Liverpool John Moores University. Co-founder of MatesLab hackspace in Argentina and the Independent Fund for Women in Tech.

Lukáš Forst

Lukas is a solutions architect and cyber security enthusiast with extensive engineering experience at companies like Blindspot, Wire, CDN77, and Better Stack. In 2020, he co-founded Mild Blue, developing AI-powered software for hospitals. In 2022, he joined the Stratosphere teaching staff. In 2024, he and Martin co-founded Recon Wave with the mission to enhance how companies manage their attack surface.

Martin Řepa

Martin is an ethical hacker and an alumni of the Introduction to Security course. He has extensive experience as both a software and security engineer. Martin secured third place in a National Cybersecurity competition and identified several critical vulnerabilities in public bug bounty programs. In 2024, he and Lukas co-founded Recon Wave. In his free time, Martin likes to do bouldering and play chess.

Muris Sladic

Muris is a PhD student from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is a member of the Stratosphere Laboratory and an alumni of the Introduction to Security class. His research is focused mostly on cyber deception and defense and the impact of generative AI on cybersecurity. He is the author of shelLM, an LLM-based, high-interaction honeypot. He likes playing and listening to music, reading, writing, and playing puzzle games.