Girl ScoutsSeniorGrades 9-10

Cybersecurity 1: Basics

How defenders think

See how a computer juggles many programs, why accounts get only the privileges they need, how encryption and hashing hide information, and design a layered defense and a chain-reaction machine that shows it. Covers all five steps of the Senior 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 Help Desk activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the scout's own work.

A help desk ticket about a slow computer beside a remote session where the task list shows one program using 97 percent of the processor, and the directory shows which groups the account belongs to.

Badge requirements: the 5 steps

  1. 1Find out how computers run multiple programsRead and quizYour laptop runs a browser, music, chat and dozens of background jobs at once. Each one is a process, and the operating system takes turns between them.
  2. 2Identify functions and privilegesRead and investigateNot every account should be able to do everything. Privileges are what an account is allowed to do.
  3. 3Learn how computers hide informationRead and quizComputers hide information three different ways, each for a different job.
  4. 4Design a layered security systemDesign itDesign defense in depth for a place you know: your school, a club, or your home network.
  5. 5Design a Rube Goldberg machineBuild itA Rube Goldberg machine does a simple job in many chained steps. Build one where each step is a security layer an intruder must pass.

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
  • Help Desk activities that check the work as it is done
  • A numbered certificate with a page of the scout's own work: your privilege plan, your layered security design and your machine

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 Senior Cybersecurity 1: Basics badge?

The badge has 5 steps: 1. Find out how computers run multiple programs; 2. Identify functions and privileges; 3. Learn how computers hide information; 4. Design a layered security system; 5. Design a Rube Goldberg machine. 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.