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AP® Cybersecurity

We are excited to announce that we will be offering AP Cybersecurity, starting in 2026-2027!

This Advanced Placement Cybersecurity course is equivalent to a first semester, college-level, introductory cybersecurity course. The rigor of this course is consistent with colleges and universities and will prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam in May. Upon successful completion of the exam, students may receive college credit and will be well-prepared for the advanced coursework.

Additional details about this course from College Board can be found here: About AP Cybersecurity, and below:

“AP Cybersecurity is part of the AP Career Kickstart™ group of courses, which are designed to accelerate high school students on their paths to in-demand careers. Along with the potential to earn college credit, students with qualifying scores on the exam will earn the AP Cybersecurity Credential.

Students learn about common threats and vulnerabilities and how they combine to create risk. Students study how individuals and organizations manage risk and how risk can be mitigated through a defense-in-depth strategy. Students explore specific vulnerabilities, attacks, mitigations, and detection measures across a variety of domains including physical spaces, computer networks, devices, and data and applications. Throughout the course, students consider the impact of cybersecurity on individuals, organizations, societies, and governments. Content and skills taught in the course align with the professional skills outlined in the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Workforce Framework." (About AP Cybersecurity, College Board)

In this course, students will explore five units that reflect key domains of cybersecurity knowledge and practice:

Unit 1: Introduction to Security

In Unit 1, students explore common cyber threats, including social engineering, weak authentication, and risks of public Wi-Fi, while learning strategies to protect themselves. They will also examine how cyberattacks are generated with AI-tools and how these same tools can be used to defend against them.

Unit 2: Securing Spaces

Unit 2 connects cybersecurity concepts to real-world environments, helping students understand vulnerabilities, threats, and risk. Students practice assessing risk and selecting appropriate security controls, including methods to detect physical breaches.

Unit 3: Securing Networks

In Unit 3, students apply risk assessment to networks by identifying vulnerabilities, evaluating risks, and implementing security controls. They also learn to analyze network data and configure firewalls to detect and defend against these attacks.

Unit 4: Securing Devices

Unit 4 focuses on system security, where students learn about user authentication, malware threats, and methods adversaries use to impersonate users. Students also analyze system logs for indicators of compromise.

Unit 5: Securing Applications and Data

In Unit 5, students assess risks to data, understand data value, and explore common data-related attacks. They learn to protect data using cryptography and access controls, and detect threats through log analysis.

Every week, students will use the Cisco Packet Tracer Network Simulation software to create models and production animations that illustrate cybersecurity and networking concepts. Students will practice technical problem-solving by diagnosing, isolating, and fixing cybersecurity issues in a variety of scenarios. Students will also use Oracle VM Virtual Box to install a sandbox Linux operating system to become familiar with a command line interface for diagnosing cybersecurity issues in computers and networks.

Students will be expected to enroll in AP Classroom through their VHS Learning AP course and will be guided to complete review work in AP Classroom throughout the year. AP Classroom resources include AP Daily Videos and unit-based Personal Progress Checks, which include AP-style multiple choice and free response questions.

Students enrolled in VHS Learning Advanced Placement courses with a passing grade are expected to take the AP Exam. Students register for AP exams through their local school or testing site as “Exam Only” students. AP exam scores will be reported to VHS Learning through AP Classroom; exam results will not affect the student’s VHS Learning grade or future enrollment in VHS Learning courses.

This AP course has a required summer assignment. The summer assignment is a review of prerequisite content and critical concepts students must be comfortable with before beginning the course. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1 will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3.

In this AP-level course, students are expected to invest approximately 10 hours per week on their coursework.

Acknowledgements

  • There are no specific course prerequisites for AP Cybersecurity. Students should be motivated and willing to work both individually and in teams on college-level projects.
  • Students must have access to an AI tool to develop and demonstrate the skills for this course, as required by College Board.
  • This course has an Additional Course Fee of $80.
  • The required summer assignment for AP Cybersecurity can be found in our AP Summer Work Directory by June 1st.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

  • How do adversaries exploit human behavior, technology, and environments to compromise systems, and how can individuals effectively defend against these attacks?
  • How can understanding vulnerabilities, threats, and risk in everyday physical and digital spaces help us make better security decisions?
  • In what ways do security controls such as authentication, monitoring systems, and AI-driven tools, prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats?
  • Why is data valuable, how does its value influence risk, and what strategies can be used to protect it from unauthorized access or compromise?

Course Learning Objectives:

  • Analyze how social engineering, weak authentication, and public Wi-Fi attacks exploit user behavior and system vulnerabilities.
  • Evaluate risks in physical and digital environments by identifying vulnerabilities, threats, and their potential impacts.
  • Apply appropriate security controls like multi-factor authentication, network monitoring, and physical safeguards to reduce identified risks.
  • Interpret log files and network data to detect indicators of compromise (IoCs) and identify potential cyberattacks.
  • Explain how data value influences risk and justify the use of protection strategies such as cryptography and access controls.

Additional Requirements

Students must have access to an AI tool to develop and demonstrate the skills for this course, as required by College Board.

In addition to the VHS Learning system requirements, students will need the following:

Due to the software, this course requires regular access to a computer running Microsoft Windows or Apple MacOS. This course cannot be completed on a Chromebook, iPad or mobile device.

Students will be directed to create their Cisco Networking Academy account during the first week of the course.

Students will be guided to download both Cisco’s Cybersecurity Virtual Machine (Ubuntu MATE Linux) and Windows 10 Professional image files into VirtualBox/UTM during Week 1 of their course.

  • Students should complete these steps themselves as part of the course activities; this will not require admin level access as these are only image files of operating systems that will be opened inside the VirtualBox/UTM platform.
  • This will require at least 8GB of RAM and 64GB of free hard drive space to install, configure, and launch VirtualBox/UTM.

This AP course has a required summer assignment. The summer assignment is a review of prerequisite content and critical concepts students must be comfortable with before beginning the course. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1 will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3.