Journalism Institute plans to offer three-day cybersecurity training course for journalists

Reporters will get the chance to learn how to protect themselves and their sources from cyberhacking at a three-day training course at the National Press Club.

The hands-on cybersecurity-training series will take place on three Saturdays: June 20, June 27 and July 11. Classes will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. Tickets can be purchased for individual sessions or for all three sessions.

The cost of a single daily session is $30 for club members and $40 for nonmembers. Lunch will be provided. Click here to register and for more information.

Participants will need to bring their personal laptops for each session. The first two sessions are designed for newcomers while the third session is more advanced.

The training is sponsored by the Press Club's Journalism Institute and Freedom of the Press Committee.

The sessions will be led by cybersecurity expert Aaron Rinehart and will feature guest lecturers. A certified information systems security professional, Rinehart is the founder and CEO of TestBed Inc. He has led numerous cybersecurity training workshops for professional journalists and college students.

The class breakdown is as follows:

First Session on June 20th:


  • KeePass: How to setup and configure the KeePass Open Source encrypted password-management database.

  • PGP Encrypted Communications from Setup to Secure: A hands-on workshop on how to properly use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption.



Second Session on June 27th:


  • Mobile-phone Security: Learn best practices, need-to-knows, and how to setup/configure apps like Signal and RedPhone.

  • TOR: The Onion Router: How to setup and properly configure your computer to use the TOR anonymity network.



Third Session on July 11th:


  • This session is not recommended if you are brand new to encryption tools. TAILS Workshop: How to setup and configure The Amnesic Incognito Live System (TAILS) for use as a secure-mobile digital toolkit.



For questions, call Rachel Oswald, Press Freedom Committee vice chair, at 202-486-9173.