Learning kitGrades 9-10

Computer science: cybersecurity

Inside job: investigate a company hack

Investigate a fictional hack at a company: read the clues, run a traceroute to see the path data takes, work out who did it, plan the crisis response, and play a life-sized logic game. Ages 14 to 16 or grades 9 to 10.

Time
About 2 hours, in two sittings
Steps
5 steps, 1 with a pretend network to try on the page
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 Network Simulator activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the learner's own work.

A firewall in the network simulator standing between the internet on one side and an office switch, a workstation and a file server on the inside.

The 5 steps

  1. 1Look for clues about a fictional hackInvestigateThe case: StarBright Games' unreleased game leaked online on Friday. Read the evidence.
  2. 2Learn how traceroutes workTry it hereData reaches a website through a chain of routers. Traceroute asks each one to answer in turn, so you can see the path and where it breaks.
  3. 3Solve a cybercrimeInvestigateMore evidence came in. Solve the StarBright case.
  4. 4Role-play how to handle the crisisRole-playWith friends or family, act out StarBright's first day after the leak.
  5. 5Play a life-sized version of MinesweeperPlay itMinesweeper is a game of reasoning from clues, like investigation. Play a life-sized version.

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
  • Network Simulator activities that check the work as it is done
  • A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work: your case notes, your traceroute notes and your crisis 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 Inside job: investigate a company hack?

It has 5 steps: 1. Look for clues about a fictional hack; 2. Learn how traceroutes work; 3. Solve a cybercrime; 4. Role-play how to handle the crisis; 5. Play a life-sized version of Minesweeper. Investigate a fictional hack at a company: read the clues, run a traceroute to see the path data takes, work out who did it, plan the crisis response, and play a life-sized logic game. 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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