What you will be able to do at the end

1. Explain the difference between encoding, hashing, and encryption — and never confuse them again.
2. Choose the right algorithm for a job in 2026, and say why the alternatives are wrong.
3. Use OpenSSL confidently: keys, certificates, signatures, encryption, debugging TLS.
4. Explain a TLS handshake packet by packet, and configure a server properly.
5. Run your own certificate authority and issue working certificates.
6. Harden SSH, and know exactly which settings matter.
7. Find and fix the OWASP Top 10 classes of web vulnerability in real code.
8. Explain post-quantum cryptography, why it matters now, and audit a system for readiness.
9. Think like an attacker: threat model a system and find where it breaks.