CYBER 289: More Information and Application

Course Description

For individuals and organizations involved in community work, human‑rights advocacy, and political activism, cybersecurity threats are an increasingly common reality of operating in the digital world. The social sector has long been targeted by ideological, political, and governmental opponents who seek to silence dissenting voices, and the widespread adoption of connected technologies by the social sector has created a new class of vulnerabilities.

Similar to university clinics in law and medicine, the UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic trains teams of students in the Master of Information and Cybersecurity program to support social sector organizations in bolstering their security so they can defend themselves against digital threats. This course embeds student teams into the operations of politically vulnerable organizations and persons around the world, leveraging and expanding their existing technical cybersecurity skills, to develop and implement sound digital security practices that enable social change.

More information about the UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic

Class Structure

In the classroom, students study the theories and practices of digital security in high-risk social sector environments and identify how to adapt their technical expertise to resource constrained and non-technical settings. They should anticipate diving into the intricacies of protecting largely under-resourced organizations and gaining exposure to tools needed to manage risk in complex political, sociological, legal, and ethical contexts. In the clinic, students work in teams supervised by Clinic staff to provide direct cybersecurity assistance to social sector organizations, with an emphasis on pragmatic, workable solutions that account for the unique needs of each partner. We welcome applications from curious students and cybersecurity practitioners who may have never considered applying their skills in this way, but want to make an impact!

CYBER 289 meets live (synchronously) twice a week via Zoom. Consult classes.berkeley.edu for class meeting times.

Prerequisites

Only students in the MICS degree program may enroll in CYBER 289. Students in other programs should enroll in INFO 289.

MICS students must have completed at least one semester of classes (CYBER 200 and CYBER 206 or 202) before participating in the UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic.

Enrollment

Enrollment is by application; please submit the online application below to apply for course enrollment.

Enrollment Notes

• Students must attend the first class.
• No drops after enrollment in the class, other than for exceptional reasons. Because client teams will be formed at the start of the course, students accepted into the class are expected to participate in the course.
• Students will be required to agree to the Cybersecurity Clinic Student Code of Conduct, including security, confidentiality, professionalism, and conflict of interest requirements. Before applying you may wish to review the Cybersecurity Clinic Student Code of Conduct (PDF).
• If you have an active security clearance or work for the government or a government entity, please contact cybersecurityclinic@ischool.berkeley.edu after applying.

Questions

Please contact cybersecurityclinic@ischool.berkeley.edu if you have any questions about the clinic or the application process.

Fall 2026 Enrollment Application

Late applications will be reviewed depending on space availability.