CYBER4SCHOOLS - Cyber security awareness and prevention game for schools

“The more interconnected we are, the more we are vulnerable to malicious cyber activity. To tackle this growing threat, we need to work together at every stage.” Security is an essential part of digital education. The COVID-19 era has escalated the demand for protection as more and more attacks lead to growing external costs related to hyper-connectivity. In order to provide high quality, inclusive digital education in the current COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, we need to ensure that all participants are using digital technology in a secure and responsible way. A transfer of a large body of knowledge, which is required to ensure comprehensive digital security through user behaviour change, is challenging in a traditional learning environment. This is exactly where our CYBER4SCHOOLS project proposal fills a gap. Through the proposed cyber game and the associated teaching and training materials, paths and kits for online courses on cybersecurity and game application it will: -create a motivational learning environment and is enjoyable in order to help secondary school pupils to achieve a tremendous amount of learning needed for them to play the game successfully and later to be responsible users of the digital space; - deliver teaching methodology that ensures high (>75%) retention of knowledge through engaged learning by doing; - help students internalize the negative consequences and externalities of their digital actions and reflect on their false sense of invincibility in the digital domain; - help pupils to develop new skills, i.e. problem solving and creative abilities; - empower and support teachers to use innovative learning tools while not overburdening the already resource constrained educators; -support teachers and pupils in discussing and exploring the wider cybersecurity considerations such as international cybersecurity laws and norms, impact of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and ethical considerations, such as digital citizenship; - inspire teachers and pupils to become ambassadors of innovative learning by doing and using games in cybersecurity education via high engagement and the snowball model The diverse group of participants will include a minimum of 30 IT teachers trained in 3 European countries (Poland, Estonia, Germany) who will act as peer trainers / facilitators in the field of digital security for a minimum of 300 secondary school pupils. These pupils from at least 3 European countries will be trained via the CYBER4SCHOOLS Game. Furthermore, as a result of the wide dissemination and communication campaign, we will reach about 500 teachers across Europe and circa 10 000 secondary school pupils. The CYBER4SCHOOLS game methodology used is based on a synergy of simulated and simultaneously realistic and safe (risk-free) attack-defense game scenarios with a pedagogical approach of immediate intrinsic feedback, followed by both, broader and deeper reflective exercises. In our game format, pupils form red teams (attack) and blue teams (defense) under the guidance of their teachers (white team) and compete in a virtual environment in hacking and defending items of their everyday digital environment such as notebook cameras, social media accounts etc. CYBER4SCHOOLS project activities and results will span the development of Training Paths and Kits for teachers and students on cybersecurity and game application in schools, a Cyber Game web platform, which will be thoroughly tested against a set of criteria (engagement, UX, intended learning outcomes, inclusivity, i.e. gender inclusivity, gamified user types, etc.) to maximize its impact and will be accompanied by a Manual of Sustainability and Replicability to ensure long-term technical, economic and social viability of the CYBER4SCHOOLS results. The impact of CYBER4SCHOOLS will be multifaceted: - Empowered, trained and methodologically equipped teachers to help students learn digital security at a level that matches current and future cybersecurity threats and risks they will be facing; - Innovative teaching methods using gaming and real-life experiences ensure the development of new skills; - Teachers will be equipped with variable scenarios that can be tailored to target groups to have maximum educational benefit; - Increased awareness about cybersecurity threats and responsible behaviour, and wider implications on digital citizenship; - Transnational partnership and exchange of best practices, as cyber threats know no borders The future of education relies very much on digital security, which in turn is mostly driven by the human factor. Cybersecurity skills and awareness developed at a school age can have multiple positive spillovers, from positive transfers to friends and family, secure and responsible use in adulthood, to increased interest in the field of digital security itself, helping to close the skills gap in the EU.