Review Cybersecurity Tutorials with CodeHS!

🗞️ Cybersecurity in the News

On January 23, 2024, Bucks County, Pennsylvania’s police experienced a ransomware cyberattack that targeted their computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. This system helps to prioritize and record 911 calls, and it effectively dispatches police officers to respond as quickly as possible. During the attack, citizens were still able to make 911 calls and the police were documenting incidents in a backup system. The ransomware attack left the system down for 9 days.

Read more about this cyber attack in this article and watch the resolution in this YouTube video.

Class Discussion Questions

What impact did the ransomware attack have on the county?
Why do you think the county was disconnected from the National Crime Information Center database?
What are some ways you can protect against malware attacks?

🔥 Cybersecurity Challenge

Can you decode the encrypted message?

Do ovfzn 20 tzvmn oj wpdgy v mzkpovodji viy azr hdipozn ja xtwzm-dixdyzio oj mpdi do.

Last Insider’s Challenge Answer

- --- .--. ... . -.-. .-. . -

Alternate version of the code can be found in this audio file.

This encryption uses the Morse Code. When decoded, it says “Top Secret.”

📕 Cybersecurity Tutorials

As the semester progresses, you may have a few students who would love to dive into additional cybersecurity topics. Consider pointing them towards a tutorial or two, where they could learn the new concepts on their own!

Here are a handful to consider:

Check out All of the Cybersecurity Tutorials

📈 Coding in the Wild Blog

The Coding the Wild posts are great for showcasing how professionals use computer science across multiple disciplines. Use them as supplemental material or extra credit to expose students to the broad applications of learning to code.

I recommend using “Coding for Oil and Gas.” It highlights some great advice for young coders and talks more about the oil and gas industry.

"Thanks to the advancements in computers, we can develop data science algorithms to leverage large amounts of data, and I can implement these algorithms through code." - Josh Hoskinson, Data Scientist at Chevron.

📅 PD Webinars and Workshops

Throughout the year, we host free webinars and workshops designed to help teachers learn more about the CodeHS platform and additional tools that can be used in the classroom.

If you’re interested in browsing our available content, check out our YouTube channel for past webinars and workshops.

Browse Available Webinars