It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but are you aware of our own WVHS cybersecurity class?
October 2024 marks the 21st Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which the US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says should be a time, “dedicated for the public and private sectors to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity.” (cisa.gov). During October, efforts are made by CISA, as well as many local and national organizations to increase people’s awareness around issues related to cybersecurity and inform them on how to minimize their online.
At Warwick Valley High School, students have important conversations with teachers, as well as outside expert presenters, about how to safely handle their online activity and maintain their digital footprint. For some Warwick Valley students, however, cybersecurity is more than just something to bear closely in mind, it is a career field to which they aspire.
Those students avail themselves of a specialized Cybersecurity class, one of four computer science classes offered as part of the high school’s larger Careers & Technology catalog. Cybersecurity was developed by Project Lead the Way, a STEM education-focused organization created and led by educators, to “motivate, prepare, and support teachers as they strive to make every child in every grade STEM-successful.” (PLTW.org) The course is taught by WVHS teacher Peter Scheuermann.
“Being part of Project Lead the Way, Cybersecurity has a pretty rigorous curriculum,” said Mr. Scheuermann. “We have a lot of kids in this class who want to eventually be cybersecurity majors. They can come in here having no background knowledge in cybersecurity, and this course starts them off from ground zero and builds from basic personal security settings on their laptops, to maintaining secure networks like the ones they would encounter working for companies in the real world.”
The first unit of study in Cybersecurity this year focused on personal online security. The unit used the basics of protecting your own online activity as a way to lay the groundwork for subsequent units on bigger networks and their subsequently bigger risks. Students learned the importance of creating multiple secure passwords to access different sites and accounts, and to change those passwords periodically. They also learned to recognize and handle potential phishing attacks and malware.
“So, we take them through learning step-by-step where to find and check their computer settings, how to change what needs to be changed, and what red flags they need to be looking out for,” Mr. Scheuermann explained. “And every day, with whatever topic we’re learning, the program provides a virtual lab that students can go into and experiment with the topics they’re learning. What makes the labs so cool, is that the students can get in there as if they’re troubleshooting a regular computer and apply what they’ve learned to start identifying these different security risks, just like they would in a real-world situation, but it’s all within the safety of this virtual world.”
The first cyber case the students faced was focused on this premise: A friend leaves her laptop open and unattended in the lunchroom. Later that day, she opens the laptop to find that there’s a new file on her desktop that she doesn’t recognize. The challenge for the students was to apply the knowledge they’d learned in class to enter the virtual lab, find the file and take the steps to protect the user and her data stored on the computer.
“They’d learned throughout the unit that that single file would be more or less likely connected to multiple other files that may be malicious and other executable processes,” said Mr. Scheuermann. “Like I said, in the course, students start off learning basics by looking at things that they can do on their personal computers, with their personal accounts, making their social media settings are secure, making safe posts, everyday things like that.”
This week, the Cybersecurity students expanded their learning from personal online security to bigger things like protecting business networks. The cyber case for the unit relates to a new company that wants to set up an online presence and have an e-commerce site.
“So, for example, we’ll be learning what it takes to secure an e-commerce site, which means making sure customer purchases are secure, and customer information, like a credit card number, is protected,” said Mr. Scheuermann. “And it’s not just the data that the company holds for its customers, it’s also things like the company’s own private data, HR info, its inventory.”
Mr. Scheuermann lets his students know that the skills they are learning in Cybersecurity are 100% applicable far beyond their laptops, phones, and Instagram or Tik Tok accounts. He assures them that the skills they pick up in Cybersecurity will help them as they pursue further education and career pathways in the cybersecurity field, which Forbes says, “consistently ranks among the top areas for job growth and demand within the broader technology sector.” With that trajectory headed upward for the foreseeable, increasingly connected, future, Mr. Scheuermann encourages students in cybersecurity to continue exploring the field.
“100%! This is real, these kids can go home and apply what they’re learning directly to their lives, and for those who are interested, we’re going to get into all kinds of things in this class that they’ll actually be doing on a larger scale if they continue into the field,” he said.
The Warwick Valley Cybersecurity class’s only prerequisite is that it be taken during or after a student’s sophomore year. If a student’s interest lies in the broader world of computer science, they can choose to enroll in the other three courses offered as part of the WVHS Career & Technology – Computer Science catalog.
Intro to Computer Science is an introductory programming course for students who are new to the field. Students create a foundation for further exploration by learning the basics of computer science, problem-solving strategies, and software design using the Python programming language. Students may enroll in one of two Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
AP Computer Science Principles, which expands their knowledge of foundational computer science concepts such as algorithms, the internet, big data, and digital privacy and security. Students also even delve into the impacts that computing and technology have on our society. A second advanced placement course, AP Computer Science A, focuses on writing computer software using the Java programming language. While this course emphasizes the basics of software engineering and developing high-quality software, students also closely consider the social and ethical issues around computing.
Students in both AP courses are expected to take the related AP exams in May of the year they are enrolled, and that can lead to accruing college credits for students with scores of three and higher.
For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month and cybersecurity in general, Warwick Valley Central School District recommends beginning your own research with this video from CISA.