About This AI Online Course
As artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into military decision making, surveillance and autonomous systems, the ability to understand and defend against adversarial threats becomes mission critical.
To safeguard mission success in an increasingly AI-driven battlespace, it is essential that defense personnel—both military and civilian—and the government contractors supporting defense operations possess at least a foundational understanding of AI cybersecurity risks, the methods for monitoring them and the strategies needed to defend against them.
This online course provides a comprehensive introduction to the security challenges associated with AI and machine learning systems, with a particular focus on adversarial environments where systems are actively targeted and exploited.
You will explore how AI systems are built on complex computing stacks—and why vulnerabilities at any layer can undermine the security and reliability of the entire system. You will also learn how increasing system complexity, interdependencies and the integration of technologies, such as cloud computing, large language models and agentic AI, expand the attack surface and create new opportunities for adversaries.
Building on this foundation, you will investigate common adversarial techniques used to manipulate or degrade AI performance. Adversarial AI seeks to mislead or exploit machine learning systems at multiple stages of their lifecycle, from training data to real-time inputs, making it a critical concern for organizations that rely on AI for decision-making.
This online course also highlights real-world implications of these threats in defense and high-stakes operational environments, where traditional accuracy metrics are insufficient and system failures can have significant mission impact. You will gain insight into why AI errors—especially those caused by adversarial actions—can be difficult to detect and how both human operators and automated systems can be affected.
Lastly, the course introduces practical, security-focused approaches to strengthening AI systems. Topics include threat modeling, risk assessment, secure system design and the importance of integrating cybersecurity practices throughout the AI lifecycle. Emphasis is placed on developing a holistic, system-level perspective—recognizing that securing AI requires attention not only to the model itself, but also to the data, infrastructure, and human interactions that support it.
This course will equip you with the foundational knowledge to better understand AI-related cybersecurity risks in defense and national security environments—supporting more secure, resilient, and mission-ready AI-enabled systems.
What You Will Learn
- Explain how computer architecture and layered computing systems underpin AI functionality and cybersecurity risk
- Analyze how vulnerabilities, threat models, and attack surfaces contribute to cybersecurity risks in AI-enabled systems
- Evaluate the unique cybersecurity challenges introduced by modern AI architectures
- Assess common AI-specific attack methods and their impact on system security
- Describe strategies for improving AI security, including enhancing trust, reliability and resilience through technical and governance approaches
Who Should Take This Online Course
This online training course is designed for defense or intelligence professionals working for the Federal government or government contractor companies interested in gaining a basic understanding of AI and machine learning cybersecurity in defense environments.
More seasoned professionals will also benefit from this online training experience to obtain a refresher on the critical subject matter.
Prerequisites
None. However, prior completion of the FedLearn courses, Introduction to AI/Machine Learning Concepts & Terminology (AIDATA109) and AI Cyber Risks & Vulnerabilities (AICYBER101), are highly recommended.
Course Certificate
To achieve a course certificate of completion, you must score 80 percent or higher on a graded quiz.
Course Format
Self-paced, online training course
Course Pricing
Individual courses are $9.99 (per person).
Seat licenses to access the entire FedLearn AI and data science catalog are also available. Click here to learn more and purchase
If you are interested in learning about special team rates for Federal government and government contractor organizations, email [email protected]
Continuing Education Unit Credits
This course provides 1.5 CEUs.
