Girl ScoutsJuniorGrades 4-5

Cybersecurity 3: Investigator

Code cracker and cyber detective

Make and crack secret codes in CryptoLab, learn how updates and smart choices keep thieves out, and investigate messages to catch the fakes. Covers all five steps of the Junior Cybersecurity 3: Investigator badge.

Time
About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings
Steps
5 badge steps, 1 of them in CryptoLab
You need
A computer or Chromebook and a friend to trade secret codes with. 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 Caesar cipher wheel turned seven letters, putting the message MEET ME AT THE TREEHOUSE into secret code.

Badge requirements: the 5 steps

  1. 1Create and crack a shift cipherIn CryptoLabA shift cipher hides a message by moving every letter the same number of places along the alphabet. Julius Caesar used one 2,000 years ago. Computers still use the same idea, keys and all, with much bigger numbers. Crack three codes in CryptoLab, then make your own.
  2. 2Find out how updates keep devices safeRead and quizPhones, tablets, game consoles and computers ask to update all the time. Here is why that matters.
  3. 3Learn about identity theftRead and quizA detective uses clues to figure out who someone is. So does an identity thief.
  4. 4Find out what to do if your identity is stolenRead, quiz and planIf it happens, the fastest fix is a plan you made ahead of time.
  5. 5Spot a real or fake messageInvestigateFake messages, called phishing, try to get you to click a link or give away information. Investigate each message below like a detective, then decide.
CryptoLab's Caesar Cipher panel: HELLO WORLD with shift 3 becomes KHOOR ZRUOG, and a two-ring letter wheel.
Each step shows how CryptoLab works, then opens it with a checklist that ticks as the work gets done.

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 secret code and your cipher, your plan, and your notes

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 Junior Cybersecurity 3: Investigator badge?

The badge has 5 steps: 1. Create and crack a shift cipher; 2. Find out how updates keep devices safe; 3. Learn about identity theft; 4. Find out what to do if your identity is stolen; 5. Spot a real or fake message. 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 or Chromebook and a friend to trade secret codes with. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed. About 90 minutes, in one or 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.