New course: Cyber Security 2, defense skills for teens
· version v7
Teens aged 15–17 become cyber defenders: password hashing, data breaches, two-step verification, log analysis, incident response and a security review.
Knowing how attacks work is only half of cyber security. The other half is defending: protecting accounts, devices and networks, and knowing exactly what to do when something goes wrong. The new Cyber Security 2: Defense course puts teens in the role of the defender.
What teens do
- find out how good websites store passwords with hashing and salt, and spot the red flags of bad ones
- put together the right steps after a data breach and learn about credential stuffing
- separate facts from myths about password managers
- rank two-step verification methods, from security keys and passkeys to SMS codes
- spot a fake sign-in alert before clicking anything
- read a real-looking server log with
grepand uncover a password-guessing attack - build an incident response for a hacked social media account
- secure a home router straight out of the box
- choose the right settings for a secure phone and learn the principle of least privilege
- finish with a security review of a made-up bakery and write the fix list
Defense only, with permission
Every level is about protecting, not attacking. The final review starts with the owner's written permission, because that is the rule in the real world too. At the end we point curious teens to careers such as SOC analyst and security engineer, and to legal beginner challenges like picoCTF.
As always, the first three levels are free, and the course takes about two lessons.
Try HexoQuest
The first 3 levels are free. Teachers and parents get a 30-day free trial.