Learning kitGrades 6-8

Computer science: cybersecurity

Cyber crime detective

Solve fictional cyber crimes: read clues in texts, catch phishing emails, see how hackers mine social media, read a log file to find the break-in, and lock down your identity. Ages 11 to 14 or grades 6 to 8.

Time
About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings
Steps
5 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 learner: every step, the Help Desk activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the learner's own work.

A help desk queue of urgent tickets, an outside caller demanding a password reset who cannot give an employee ID, and the server log showing the real account owner signed in at their own desk.

The 5 steps

  1. 1Find clues in text messagesInvestigateCase 1: Jordan says someone pretended to be a friend by text. Look at the messages for clues.
  2. 2Identify phishing emailsInvestigateCase 2: three emails landed in one inbox. Which are phishing?
  3. 3Learn how hackers use social mediaInvestigateCase 3: an account was broken into by guessing its security questions. Where did the answers come from?
  4. 4Analyze log filesInvestigateCase 4: Maya's game account was taken. The game company sent the login log. Find the break-in.
  5. 5Protect your identity from hackersLock it downCase closed. Now lock down your own identity so these crimes cannot happen to 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 learner

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 learner's own work: your case notes and your identity lockdown plan

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?
Co-ops and classes: unlock it for a group

One payment and one code. Each learner 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 does the learner do in Cyber crime detective?

It has 5 steps: 1. Find clues in text messages; 2. Identify phishing emails; 3. Learn how hackers use social media; 4. Analyze log files; 5. Protect your identity from hackers. Solve fictional cyber crimes: read clues in texts, catch phishing emails, see how hackers mine social media, read a log file to find the break-in, and lock down your identity. Ages 11 to 14 or grades 6 to 8.

What age is it for?

Grades 6-8. About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings.

What is needed?

A computer, Chromebook or tablet. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.

Is there a certificate?

Yes. A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work, for your records or a portfolio. It is not course credit.

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