For children in the age range of 10-16

You are a member of the first generation born into the internet world. Your parents probably did not browse the internet till their mid-20s or use a smartphone till their mid-30s. No wonder the internet and the cyber world seems such a natural thing to you...you probably know some things about the internet that your parents don’t. The internet can be a great place for you to connect with friends and family, entertain yourselves- playing games or watching shows as well as to learn many things and satisfy your curiosity. Some children like you even ‘work’ on the internet and earn significant amounts of money through their social media channels, gaming or even hacking.

It’s not all a rosy picture though- perhaps you or some of your friends have been hacked, affected by a virus, had your information reach a stranger or been bullied in cyberspace. The pervasiveness of the internet with its many positives, also poses a threat to the whole of humanity. Cyber attackers are on the rise, creating havoc in the world of business and communication. They create many problems by introducing malware, using it for identity theft or even misusing the confidential information of governments. Internet thefts and frauds have become common and unscrupulous internet businesses have sprung up that take undue advantage of the lack of awareness among people- be they children or adults.

Mischief online may start small and benign but it can soon turn into serious crime, devastating careers and lives. Crime in the cyber world can cause a lot of damage to the unsuspecting and unaware and here knowledge and awareness become the first line of defence.

To take advantage of the opportunities offered by the cyber world, while keeping yourself and the people around you safe, you need to be aware of various aspects of how the internet works and the motives and strategies of people on it.

Areas of cyber security we that will be covered in this course include:

• Understanding attackers vs defenders
• Nasty software, their sources, motives and the industry behind the same
• Social media and its positive as well as negative nuances
• Browsing and gaming, the science behind them and aspects of safety
• Variety of cyber crimes and how to protect oneself against them

Every child needs to be savvy about the internet and understand how to remain safe in this space. Apart from supporting that objective, this course  will also help children to appreciate the wide range of career options that exist in the area of cyber security.