Girl ScoutsAmbassadorGrades 11-12

Cybersecurity 1: Basics

Hackers, ethics and cyber careers

Sort the kinds of hackers, hide a message in plain sight, argue both sides of hacking ethics, learn how nations defend their networks, and map a career in cybersecurity. Covers all five steps of the Ambassador Cybersecurity 1: Basics badge.

Time
About 2 hours, in two sittings
Steps
5 badge steps
You need
A computer, Chromebook or tablet. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.
Unlock the kit, $5 I have a code

$5 for one scout: every step, the CryptoLab activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the scout's own work.

A row of data bits and a row of key bits combined with XOR into a new scrambled row, the bit trick behind hiding messages.

Badge requirements: the 5 steps

  1. 1Learn about different kinds of hackersRead and quizHacking means making a system do something its designers did not intend. Who does it, and why, varies a lot.
  2. 2Hide a message in plain sightInvestigate and makeSteganography hides that a message exists at all. Find one, then make your own.
  3. 3Debate the ethics of hackingDebate itPick a hard case and argue both sides before you decide.
  4. 4Learn cyberwarfare strategiesRead and quizNations attack and defend each other's networks. The targets are often the systems everyone relies on.
  5. 5Explore cyber careersMap itCybersecurity has more open jobs than people to fill them. Map a path that fits you.

Work on a computer. The apps need a keyboard and a bigger screen than a phone: a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. You can pay here and open the emailed link on the computer.

One scout

Unlock the kit, $5

  • All 5 steps, worked on screen, with a lesson you can print if you like paper
  • CryptoLab activities that check the work as it is done
  • A numbered certificate with a page of the scout's own work: your hidden message, your debate notes and your career map

We email a link that opens the kit on any computer. No account needed. We keep the email only to send the kit and certificate links: privacy.

Have a discount code?
Leaders: unlock it for the whole troop

One payment and one code. Each scout types the code to unlock the kit on their own computer, and gets their own certificate at the end. Your pack page shows who has started and finished.

See a sample certificate (PDF) · Already paid? Find your link

Questions

What are the requirements for the Girl Scout Ambassador Cybersecurity 1: Basics badge?

The badge has 5 steps: 1. Learn about different kinds of hackers; 2. Hide a message in plain sight; 3. Debate the ethics of hacking; 4. Learn cyberwarfare strategies; 5. Explore cyber careers. This kit covers all 5, with activities that check the work as it is done.

Is there a printable version?

Yes. Once unlocked, the whole lesson prints, one step at a time, for a meeting or a table. Printing is optional: every step also works on screen, and a sample certificate PDF is on this page.

What does a scout need?

A computer, Chromebook or tablet. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed. About 2 hours, in two sittings.

Can a troop leader get it for the whole troop?

Yes. A troop pack is one payment and one code: up to 12 scouts for $20, or up to 30 scouts for $35. Each scout types the code on their own computer and gets their own certificate, and the leader's pack page shows who has started and finished.

Is this an official Girl Scouts product?

No. MYTEK Lab makes the kit, and Girl Scouts badge names and steps are used with permission of Girl Scouts of the USA. The troop leader awards the badge; the certificate shows the scout did the work, with a number the leader can check.

All badge kits · Find kits and certificates you bought

Girl Scouts badge names and steps are used with permission of Girl Scouts of the USA. This kit is made by MYTEK Lab; the badge is awarded by the troop.