Learning kitGrades 9-10

Computer science: cybersecurity

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. Ages 14 to 16 or grades 9 to 10.

Time
About 2 hours, in 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 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.

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 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 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?
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 How defenders think?

It 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. 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. Ages 14 to 16 or grades 9 to 10.

What age is it for?

Grades 9-10. About 2 hours, in 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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