The enormous advancement of digital technology and Internet usage has significantly improved our lives but has also threatened our security and privacy. Cyberattacks may have harmful long-term implications for individuals and organizations. High school students are accessible targets for various cybercrimes due to the lack of cybersecurity knowledge and cyber-safe practices. It is important that education about cybersecurity awareness and cyber hygiene practices begin at a young age. Offering cybersecurity knowledge through interactive tutorials and game-based techniques may increase students’ interest in this domain. To develop a security mindset and improve the perception and attitude toward cybersecurity, we created an interactive visualization and practice-based cybersecurity framework for high school students. Through this framework, we attempt to effectively educate students in cybersecurity through animated visualization modules developed in Unity 3D engine, enabling learning of physical, software, and mathematical aspects of cybersecurity. In addition, several other lectures and hands-on activities were developed. Several surveys were conducted to determine whether this framework enhances users’ cognitive abilities and improves or develops a security mindset among teenagers. We discuss challenges in such an implementation in a classroom setting, lessons learned, and potential ways of integration into an existing course on computer science or cybersecurity. If time permits, we may also look at another math-oriented high school project that served as a foundation of this project.

Co-sponsored by: Dept of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and CAREERS – Cyber Florida Grant, Florida Atlantic University

Speaker(s): Dr. Ahmad Javaid,

Room: 405, Bldg: EE96 — Engineering East, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, United States, 33431, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/361568