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Microsoft Security Fundamentals (Udemy.com)

Learn Windows Security: Windows Hardening, Firewalls, NTFS Permissions, Active Directory, AppLocker, BitLocker and More

Created by: Alton Teaches LLC

Last updated January 2026

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What you will learn

  • Build a basic Windows security lab environment with VirtualBox, Windows Server 2016, and Active Directory to follow along with demonstrations
  • Understand BitLocker and BitLocker To Go encryption through hands-on demonstrations
  • Learn about AppLocker and Software Restriction Policies and see them configured in live demonstrations
  • Understand NTFS permissions, share permissions, inheritance, and effective access through guided demonstrations
  • Learn Active Directory security fundamentals including groups, organizational units, delegation, and basic Group Policy configuration
  • Understand Windows password policies, account lockout policies, and audit policies through demonstrations
  • Learn about Windows Encrypting File System (EFS) and see encryption concepts demonstrated
  • Understand Windows Firewall configuration and the difference between hardware and software firewalls

How it compares

Against the other 523 rated Udemy courses in Hacking on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.4 out of 5higher than 33% of them
  • Reviews1,248#160 of 524 by number of reviews
  • Length13.2 hourslonger than 80% of them
  • Last updatedJanuary 2026more recently than 60% of them

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Course Description

LEARN MICROSOFT WINDOWS SECURITY FROM ONE OF UDEMY'S TOP IT INSTRUCTORS

Are you an IT professional who needs to understand how to secure Windows systems and networks? Do you want hands-on experience with BitLocker encryption, AppLocker policies, Active Directory security, and Windows hardening techniques? If so, this comprehensive course is exactly what you need.

Windows remains the dominant operating system in enterprise environments, powering over 70% of business desktops and servers worldwide. Understanding how to properly secure Windows systems, configure encryption, manage permissions, and defend against attacks is essential for anyone working in IT security, system administration, or technical support.

In this 13-hour comprehensive course, I'll teach you Microsoft Windows security fundamentals through 30+ live demonstrations and hands-on labs. You'll build a complete lab environment and learn security skills you can apply in your organization.


WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING

"Well structured course, hitting the fundamentals in an easy to understand way." — Steven C ★★★★★

"Great content on security and tools that should be used to infra protection." — Vinicius ★★★★★

"Instructor was very knowledgeable and easy to listen to, with good video slides to reinforce the topics." — Anthony J ★★★★★

"Very easy to follow and packed full of useful information. Would definitely recommend!" — Eirean ★★★★★


HANDS-ON LEARNING WITH 30+ LIVE DEMONSTRATIONS

This isn't a theory-only course. You'll build a complete Windows lab environment and follow along with live demonstrations covering real-world security configurations and hardening techniques. You'll work with Windows 10 Enterprise (same security architecture as Windows 11), Windows Server 2016, Active Directory, and essential security tools.


Built with Windows 10, Fully Applicable to Windows 11: This course uses Windows 10 Enterprise for demonstrations, but the underlying Windows security architecture remains the same for Windows 11. BitLocker encryption, AppLocker policies, NTFS permissions, Active Directory security, Group Policy, Windows Firewall, and all core security concepts work identically across both operating systems. Whether you're securing Windows 10 or Windows 11 environments, you'll gain the same hands-on skills.


WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE IN THIS COURSE

  • 13 Hours of HD Video Lectures & Live Demonstrations

  • 30+ Hands-On Labs Including BitLocker, AppLocker, Active Directory Security, and Windows Hardening

  • Complete Lab Setup Guide (VirtualBox, Windows Server 2016, Active Directory Domain Environment)

  • 15 Section Quizzes to Reinforce Your Learning

  • PDF Lectures of All Course PowerPoint Slides

  • Downloadable Course Videos for Offline Viewing with Udemy Mobile App


KEY COURSE TOPICS

Core Security Principles & Risk Management

  • CIA Triad, Defense in Depth, Least Privilege, Risk Management, Attack Surface Analysis

Physical & Wireless Security

  • Physical site security, removable device security, keyloggers, wireless encryption (WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA3)

Windows Authentication & User Security

  • Authentication fundamentals, smart cards, RADIUS server configuration, Run As administrative tasks

Windows Permissions & Access Control

  • NTFS permissions (basic and advanced), share permissions, inheritance, Active Directory groups and OUs, Registry security, Group Policy management

Password Policies & Account Security

  • Microsoft password policies, account lockout policies, password attack methods, auditing, and compliance

Encryption & Data Protection

  • Symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing algorithms, digital certificates, Windows EFS (Encrypting File System), BitLocker, and BitLocker To Go, software restriction policies

Malware Defense

  • Understanding malware types (viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, rootkits), buffer overflows, and zero-day attacks

Firewall & Network Security

  • Windows Firewall configuration, hardware vs. software firewalls, stateful vs. stateless filtering

Network Isolation & Segmentation

  • Perimeter networks, VLANs, honeypots, NAT, VPN, IPSec, server and domain isolation

Protocol Security

  • Protocol spoofing, network sniffing with Wireshark, and DNSSec implementation

Client & Server Hardening

  • User Account Control (UAC), AppLocker policies, Windows Defender, software updates, server hardening, separation of services, Read-Only Domain Controllers (RODC)


BY THE END OF THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

  • Understand how BitLocker encryption works and follow along with demonstrations configuring it in a lab environment

  • Learn what AppLocker policies are and how they control application execution in Windows environments

  • Understand Active Directory security fundamentals, including groups, organizational units, delegation, and Group Policy basics

  • Follow along with demonstrations of NTFS permissions and share permissions to understand Windows file security

  • Understand how Windows Firewall works and learn basic network isolation techniques

  • Learn about password policies, account lockout policies, and audit policies for Windows compliance

  • Understand Windows Encrypting File System (EFS) and encryption fundamentals through hands-on demonstrations

  • Learn Windows client and server hardening best practices and security configurations

  • Build and configure a basic Windows security lab environment to practice along with the course


PERFECT FOR IT PROFESSIONALS AT ALL LEVELS

Whether you're a help desk technician advancing into security, a system administrator needing Windows security expertise, or a security analyst working with Windows environments, this course provides the foundation you need. Basic Windows knowledge is helpful but not required—I walk you through everything step-by-step.


ORIGINALLY DESIGNED FOR MTA 98-367, CORE CONCEPTS REMAIN ESSENTIAL

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Instructor Details

Alton Teaches LLC

About Us

Alton Teaches LLC is dedicated to providing IT training to aspiring IT professionals.

KISS. Teaching Approach

We follow a “Keep It Simple Student” approach to learning, breaking down complex topics into simplified discussions.

We Focus on the Fundamentals

One of our central philosophies is to teach you to crawl before you can walk. Why is this important? You can’t be a successful IT practitioner without mastering the fundamentals first.

We’re Here to Help You

Whether you’re brand new to IT or a seasoned IT professional, we welcome everybody. In fact, we cater to those looking to transition to IT.

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Reviews

4.4

1,248 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Katherine Fulton on 11/7/2025

Very thorough. I like how you provide a module on how to set up the Virtualbox so that we can follow along in later lectures. Lots of good examples. I like how you chop it up into bite sized pieces.

By Winnetka Gray on 12/9/2021

Initially, I thought too much information would confuse me, but boy was I wrong! I took the Certification today, and passed! The thing is mostly everything on the actual Cert was covered by Alton, to include a couple of 'extras.' Obviously, Microsoft makes changes to their tests periodically, but Alton's, Exam Prep definitely prepared me for the MTA Certification.

By Steven Cheney on 10/4/2021

So far is not a let down. The Instructor is very clear and understandable for this crayon eater. lol. I have been nervous about installing things but he makes it seem easy and relevant to this course. I like it so far. UPDATE: I just took my test and PASSED. The Instructor goes into more detail and if I would not have had that, I might not have passed. Awesome course have and would recommend to family & friends.

By Dos Amigos on 9/29/2021

Great course. Passed the exam with 88 first try. I spend 2-3 hours with exam dumps but the knowledge from here was sufficient!

By Jason Long on 7/17/2021

I just wanted a course that covered the security fundamentals for Windows. However, Alton also included info beyond the cert requirements, which I felt was very useful.

By Axel Reznik on 5/23/2021

The course was very very good, I finished it right after Alton's previous course for the MTA 98-366, the learning here is very robust as in the previous course yet simplified to avoid complication of the subject matters. Unlike the previous course of 98-366, this course includes plenty of live demos, I liked that but part of the demos are on sometimes the sole explanation on the topic, without any sort of presentation to accompany them, which would be wonderful, only if to ensure the "Take-Home-Message" is delivered to the students. Overall, the course seems to be very complete with most of the material and all the seemingly important material in the book, includes also 2 bundled tests which in my prior experience with Alton's course reflect the MTA exam itself well. Will update after taking the exam. Update: Took my MTA exam today, passed with flying colours! All you need is in this course, study with it properly and just go grab your certification ASAP!

By David LaPierre on 2/1/2021

I was able to pass the exam on the first try. This course helped me prepare well considering I mostly develop web sites.

By Jethro Oloruntobi Omowaiye on 4/23/2020

Hi Alton, I'll like to say a big thank you for the MTA fundamentals security course. It is well explained and every bit of it helped me during the exam. I have passed the exam. Once again , I say a big heartfelt THANK YOU

By Thomas Herm on 2/26/2020

Alton's course covers most of the things I found on the test. I have to be vague when describing these, because NDA, so bear with me. One of the things I was questioned on that he didn't cover wasn't actually in the domain objectives listed by microsoft in any form, so it was likely experimental; if it wasn't, it's more a problem with the MTA objective listings than with the course. The only other thing that threw me off was an aspect of something that was covered in this course, but not this incredibly tiny detail. I only count it as one small thing missed, and I passed, so no matter how you count it, it's effective. He's also very responsive as an instructor, so I expect these issues will be fixed at some point. We had a discussion, and I told him a general idea of what was missing (because NDA). Even in its current state, though, it's incredibly effective.

By Donald Simmons on 3/27/2019

A decent entry level course. I do wish that the course went into a bit more detail on things, but overall it was good. The instructor can be a bit slow and monotonous at times, but overall not too bad and you can always speed up the course a bit.

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Read all 1,248 reviews on Udemy

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Overall Score : 88 / 100