Fortinet Instills Fundamental Cyber Skills with its Security Awareness Curriculum

Cyber awareness is crucial for organizations, particularly because phishing and malware methods are increasingly being used by cybercriminals to obtain sensitive data and infiltrate networks. The latest research from Fortinet's 2023 Security Awareness and Training Global Research Brief reveals that more than 90% of leaders believe that increased employee cybersecurity awareness would help decrease the occurrence of cyberattacks. Respondents also reported that phishing, malware, and password attacks together formed 81% of attacks. Increasing the risks is the fact that an estimated 4 million professionalsare needed globally to fill the cyber skills gap.

To help address these challenges, Fortinet offers the Security Awareness Curriculum, which teaches fundamental cybersecurity skills to students from ages 4 to 18. It is available for primary and secondary schools (K-12) across the United States with expansions into other countries forthcoming. More about the benefits of this curriculum developed by teachers for teachers to educate their students is covered below.

Preparing Students for the Digital World

Incorporating cybersecurity into the broader education curriculum prepares students for the challenges of the digital world. The training emphasizes the importance of skills such as digital citizenship, online safety, and responsible technology use. Primary and secondary (K-12) school authorities or teachers can get involved and take advantage of the program.

The curriculum is divided into the following levels: Rookies (age 4-7), Novices (age 8-11), Specialists (age 12-14), Leaders (age 15-18), and Experts (elective courses for age 15-18). The curriculum is made up of Seven Cyber Strands. Each strand has two to four lessons depending on the age group. The strands are:

Online Presence: Maintaining a positive and safe online presence by thinking critically about identity and making mindful choices about sharing content online.

Digital Safety: Engaging in safe and respectful online interactions by recognizing online risks and knowing how to respond to difficult situations.

Secure Privacy: Protecting privacy by safeguarding personal and private information and data.

Ethical Integrity: Making informed decisions about actions and choices when using technology by understanding rights, responsibilities, and consequences of online behaviors.

Digital Impact: Using emerging technologies to improve people's lives by weighing the positive and negative impact of technology on the world.

Cybersecurity Landscape: Mitigating risks of cyberattacks by recognizing cyberthreats and bad actors' tactics and using strategies to keep people and technology secure.

Online Information: Exploring online content safely and confidently by analyzing data and recognizing reliable and relevant sources.

Currently, Specialists, for ages 12-14, is available in English, with the French version set to be released in Spring 2024. The Specialists cover one lesson from each strand, totaling 7 lessons. The curriculum aligns with educational standards such as CSTA K-12 standards, ISTE, and Cyber.org. Balancing digital safety and well-being with technical cybersecurity skills, the training goes beyond bridging the cybersecurity skills gap and helps students develop digital safety skills across all disciplines.

Developed by and Praised by Educators

The Security Awareness Curriculum was developed by former educators and reviewed by current teachers to bring engaging, age-appropriate cybersecurity curriculum to students everywhere. Past participants have praised the curriculum:

• "The students very much enjoyed the lesson in that it had realistic situations and acknowledged the complexities of online safety. They enjoyed creating posters, and the videos as a means of accessing the content. I think the organization and clarity of the teacher's materials is fantastic!"
  - Shannon, 6^th grade Teacher, Virginia, USA
• "These lessons are incredibly relevant in this digital age! Students were encouraged to critically think about their online identities and analyze their decisions. Making safe choices online is an ongoing practice for young learners and is worthy of conversation in the classroom. These lessons are ideal for all classrooms and plenty of cross-curricular connections can be made."
  - Kindersley, Teacher Librarian, Simcoe County, USA
• "Fortinet's Cyber Security Awareness Curriculum provides an opportunity for educators and educational stakeholders to build their own capacity and understanding of topics related to digital safety and well-being. Building this capacity is important so that educators are better equipped to provide meaningful learning experiences for students. The lesson plans, background information, and suggested activities are thorough, and provide practical "dos", as opposed to "do nots", to help anyone living in the digital age make informed decisions to protect themselves from cyber risks."
  - Tineke, Digital Instruction and Assessment Facilitator, Simcoe County, USA

Flexible and Comprehensive Training

The curriculum incorporates core competencies, including creativity, critical thinking, computational thinking, communication, compassion, and collaboration. Ideas for cross-curricular connections and extensions are open-ended and flexible. Lessons are ready for teachers to adjust to meet their standards and classroom goals and use in their existing content areas.

The Security Awareness Curriculum is designed to help teachers guide their students to build their understanding of cybersecurity concepts and construct personal boundaries for safe technology use and digital well-being. By engaging with the curriculum, students develop digital resilience to prepare them for the impact of technology on their lives.

Ideally, as students grow into becoming the innovators and leaders of tomorrow, they will help envision solutions and consider careers that will help close the cybersecurity skills gap.

If you're a teacher or school representative interested in learning how to access and implement this curriculum, visit here.

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