Cyber security school: educating to protect
Ben Marriott, our Email Security Business Manager shares why it’s important for cyber security education to start young and why the learning should never stop.
Can you remember the first time you were caught out by a cyber security scam? I can – I was 11. I had clicked on a phishing email claiming I was the 1,000th person to log into MSN and I’d won an all-inclusive cruise to Barbados. Of course, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is, and I learnt the first rule of email security the hard way: don’t click on anything in an email before you’ve checked it’s legitimate. In fact, most people don’t learn about cyber security until they enter the workplace, making children and young adults a key target for cyber criminals.
However, The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recognises that in a digital world, cyber security needs to become embedded in our culture and is taking steps to implement this through education.
Discover six top tips to help you spot a phishing attempt
DCMS’s new platform for young people: Cyber Explorers
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) promotes the importance of cyber security education from a young age and has created an online platform for school children to provide equal access to cyber security learning. ‘Cyber Explorers’ is free to use and introduces ages 11 to 14 to security concepts, such as open-source intelligence, digital forensics, and social engineering. The programme is part of the UK government’s effort to build cyber skills within the national economy as part of the National Cyber, complementing the existing CyberFirst programme of activities led by The NCSC.
DCMS’s platform allows students to explore a variety of scenarios and collect virtual badges for making smart choices. By using characters, quizzes, and activities, they learn about cyber security and how digital skills open a range of different career paths.
“Cyber Explorers will give thousands of young people the opportunity to learn digital skills they need for the modern workplace and get the best possible start on their journey towards a career in cyber.” Cyber Minister, Julia Lopez MP
A new era of defence against cyber threats
Even though it’s an important starting point, cyber security education should extend beyond schools. We often see public sector organisations try to independently educate their employees about cyber security and how to avoid becoming victim to a scam. And even though many organisations now invest in security awareness training, many of their users don’t have the knowledge to properly protect against new threats, such as social engineering attacks, scam callers, or even physical security issues, including the protection of company property (laptops, USBs etc.).
Education is key in our fight against cyber crime and we recommend regular, interactive end-user cyber security training and a managed security service to ensure your organisation is fully protected, 24/7. Let’s skill up, level up, and gain knowledge about security risks to prevent them from happening.
