Class Instruction

Classes should alternate between fun and cybersecurity concepts in order for students to feel more like a club than a class. The fun courses will still be focused on developing skills using the core concepts taught, but with the focus on developing something the students can use in everyday life (i.e. Minecraft server, deploying websites, etc.).

Cyber Patriot Units (Cyber Unit)

Cyber Unit 1

  • Unit 1 - Introduction to CyberPatriot and Cybersecurity 2021.pptx
  • Unit 2 - Introduction to Online Safety 2021.pptx
  • Unit 3 - Cyber Ethics - with Instructor Notes 2021.pptx

Cyber Unit 2

  • Unit 4 - Principles of Cybersecurity Edited 2021.pptx
  • Unit 5 - Computer Basics and Virtualization 2021.pptx

Cyber Unit 3

  • Unit 6 - Microsoft Windows Basics 2021.pptx

Cyber Unit 4

  • Unit 7 - Microsoft Windows Security Tools 2021.pptx

Cyber Unit 5

  • Unit 8 - Microsoft Windows Security Configuration 2021.pptx
  • Unit 9 - Introduction to Linux and Ubuntu 2021.pptx

Fun Topics

The goal with fun topics is to break up the monotony of focusing purely on academic concepts and instead apply/learning cyber security concepts through projects that students are interested in.

Fun Topic 1: Spin-up a Secure Minecraft Server

Skills: Linux basics, users/groups, ports, backups, updates, basic threat model
Materials: 1 spare PC or cloud VM; or local host + LAN
Tech: Paper/Spigot, ufw, systemd
2-Hour Plan:

20m: Threat model (“What could go wrong?” DDoS, griefing, OP abuse).

30m: Install Paper, create non-root user, run as systemd service.

20m: Configure server.properties, EULA, whitelist, backups.

20m: Lock down with ufw, strong RCON/ops discipline.

30m: Mini-incident drill (bad plugin or rogue OP—how to recover from backup).
Homework: Add scheduled backups + integrity hash; write a short admin SOP.

Fun Topic 2: Redstone Crypto: Build a 4-bit ALU (Minecraft Calculator/Computer)

Skills: Logic gates, truth tables, documentation discipline
Materials: Minecraft Java (single player is fine)
Tech: Redstone, signs for documentation
2-Hour Plan:

20m: AND/OR/NOT refresher, half-adder design.

60m: Build 4-bit adder with carry; test with known inputs.

20m: Add subtraction via two’s complement lever.

20m: “Posture review” (signal leaks, timing).
Homework: Add a 4-bit comparator; short write-up with screenshots.

Fun Topic 3: “Shipyard CTF”: Hardening a Mini-Game Server

Skills: Service enumeration, patching, log review
Materials: Two laptops (attacker/defender) or two VMs
Tech: Nmap, fail2ban, auditd
2-Hour Plan:

20m: Baseline VM with an intentionally weak service.

40m: Attackers probe with nmap; defenders monitor logs.

30m: Defenders harden (update, firewall, disable guest).

30m: Rematch + debrief.
Homework: Create a hardening checklist and submit PRs to class repo.

Fun Topic 4: “Alien Ciphers”: Break & Make Classic Crypto

Skills: Frequency analysis, keys/secrets handling ethics
Materials: Paper pencils + laptop
Tech: Caesar/Vigenère worksheet + tiny Python helper script
2-Hour Plan:

20m: Story hook (distress message intercepted).

45m: Break Caesar → Vigenère with frequency hints + helper tool.

25m: Discuss why this fails today; show salted hashing in one script.

30m: Students encode their own “mission orders” & trade to decode.
Homework: Implement a substitution solver or write up frequency method.

Fun Topic 5: “Holodeck Logs”: Intro to DFIR with Game-Style Artifacts

Skills: Timeline building, log parsing, IOC thinking
Materials: Pre-made log bundle (web, auth, app)
Tech: grep, jq, timesketch-style worksheet
2-Hour Plan:

15m: Incident story (compromised holodeck).

45m: Students answer who/when/how from logs (guided questions).

30m: Build a basic timeline (timestamps → table).

30m: Draft a 1-page “exec summary.”
Homework: Write 3 detections (grep/jq one-liners) for the IOCs found.

Fun Topic 6: “Starship Beacon”: Build & Break a Tiny Web App

Skills: Web basics, input validation, auth/roles
Materials: Any laptop
Tech: Flask/FastAPI (Python) or Node/Express, SQLite
2-Hour Plan:

20m: Present the “beacon registry” app (list + add beacons).

40m: Students find issues (no auth on POST, bad input).

40m: Implement fixes: simple login, CSRF token, server-side validation.

20m: Write one unit test and a README.
Homework: Add role-based access (pilot vs. captain).

Fun Topic 7: “Base Perimeter”: Wi-Fi Scanner & Simple IDS Light

Skills: Wireless scanning ethics, basic pattern detection
Materials: ESP32 or laptop with monitor mode capable NIC
Tech: MicroPython (ESP32) or Linux airodump-ng dataset
2-Hour Plan:

20m: Safety/ethics; only scan your lab/permitted bands.

50m: Collect beacon/probe frames (or parse provided pcap).

20m: Heuristics: flag open APs or sudden SSID changes.

30m: Output a small HTML dashboard.
Homework: Add an “allowlist” and alert for rogue SSIDs.

Fun Topic 8: “Arcade Cabinet” Personal Site (Your idea: Build & Host a Website)

Skills: Static hosting, HTTPS, change control
Materials: Student laptop
Tech: GitHub Pages/Netlify, Hugo or plain HTML/CSS
2-Hour Plan:

20m: Clone a minimal template.

40m: Customize content & nav; add a “Security Tips” section.

30m: Deploy with HTTPS; add a custom subdomain if available.

30m: Add a change log page (what changed, why).
Homework: Add a contact form via serverless function (rate-limited).

Fun Topic 9: “Scoreboard API”: Build a Tiny JSON API + Client

Skills: REST basics, auth, input validation
Materials: Laptop only
Tech: FastAPI/Flask + SQLite; or Cloudflare Workers/Denoflare
2-Hour Plan:

30m: Create /scores GET/POST; return JSON.

40m: Add an API key header + server-side input validation.

20m: Postman or curl tests; log to file with timestamps.

30m: Create a minimal HTML client page.
Homework: Add pagination + “admin reset” route guarded by a secret.

Fun Topic 10: “Stream Safe”: Privacy & OPSEC for Gamers (Bring your personal PC and let’s secure it day)

Skills: Password managers, MFA, device hardening, Discord safety
Materials: Laptop + personal accounts (optional)
Tech: Browser security settings, authenticator app
2-Hour Plan:

25m: Threat model for a student gamer.

40m: Configure strong auth, passkeys/MFA, privacy settings.

25m: Phishing simulation (identify red flags).

30m: Create a personal “safety checklist.”
Homework: Enable auto-updates & audit extensions at home.