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GSC - Intro to Cybersecurity

An 18-week Robotnix delivery of Garden State Cyber - Introduction to Cybersecurity I. The course follows the Middle Township curriculum through ethics, the CIA Triad, authentication, malware, Linux command line, social engineering, phishing and OSINT, system hardening, threat modeling and IoT, binary and encoding, classical cryptography, steganography, privacy versus security, computer components, networking fundamentals, protocols, packets, and Wireshark analysis. Labs remain bounded to teacher-provided, authorized, or synthetic environments.

Length
18 weeks
Audience
Grades 9-12
Entries
96

Week 01

  1. overviewWeek 1: Ethics, Careers, and the CIA TriadCybersecurity does not start with exploits. It starts with responsibility.
  2. Lesson 1Permission Is Part of the SystemYou find an unfamiliar device on a network. You know how to inspect it. You might even know exactly which commands would reveal what is running.
  3. Lesson 2Authorization, Ethics, and the CIA TriadCybersecurity has a simple problem: people often jump straight to tools before they can explain what they are trying to protect.
  4. Lesson 3Code of Behavior and CIA Evidence LabCybersecurity classes have a strange problem.
  5. reflectionWeek 1 Reflection: What Makes Security Work Ethical?Use the artifacts you built this week. Do not answer from memory alone.

Week 02

  1. overviewWeek 2: Authentication and Password DefenseLast week you defined what security is trying to protect. This week you focus on one of the most common access-control questions:
  2. Lesson 1Authentication: Prove Who You AreA login screen looks simple: username, password, submit.
  3. Lesson 2Passwords, Hashes, and SaltWhen a website checks a password, a secure design should not need to store the original password as readable text.
  4. Lesson 3Which Authentication Method Fits the Risk?There is no perfect authentication method.
  5. checkpointCheckpoint 1: Authentication ArchitectureUse the Authentication Architecture you built in Lesson 3 as your Week 2 mastery artifact.
  6. reflectionWeek 2 Reflection: Where Does Authentication Actually Fail?Use your Authentication Architecture and password-defense work.

Week 03

  1. overviewWeek 3: Malware and Security ThreatsThis week moves from account protection to malicious software.
  2. Lesson 1Malware Is a Behavior, Not Just a NameThe word malware is short for malicious software, but that definition is too broad to help a defender make decisions.
  3. Lesson 2Historic Malware: What Changed After the Incident?Security improves when defenders study what actually happened, not just what they wish had happened.
  4. Lesson 3Build a Malware Defense PlanKnowing malware categories does not protect a system.
  5. reflectionWeek 3 Reflection: What Actually Stops Malware?Use your malware case brief and defensive stack.

Week 04

  1. overviewWeek 4: Linux CLI FoundationsGarden State Cyber I now moves from threats into the command line.
  2. Lesson 1From GUI to CLI: Read the System DirectlyMost people meet a computer through windows, icons, menus, and buttons.
  3. Lesson 2Inspect Files, Processes, and PermissionsOnce you can move through a Linux filesystem, the next step is learning how to inspect system state without changing it blindly.
  4. Lesson 3CLI Investigation: Build a Reproducible Evidence TrailA terminal session becomes valuable when another person can understand what you did.
  5. reflectionWeek 4 Reflection: What Makes a Terminal Investigation Trustworthy?Use your command transcript and System Snapshot.

Week 05

  1. overviewWeek 5: Virtualization and Safe LabsGarden State Cyber I introduces virtual machines so cybersecurity practice can happen inside a controlled environment.
  2. Lesson 1Virtual Machines: Build a Boundary Before the LabCybersecurity labs need a place where students can observe systems without turning the school network into the experiment.
  3. Lesson 2Design a Safe Lab LifecycleA safe cyber lab is more than a virtual machine that turns on.
  4. Lesson 3VM Lab: Observe, Break the Assumption, RecoverA safe lab should let you test an idea without needing a real target.
  5. checkpointCheckpoint 2: Safe Lab CompetencyUse the Week 5 VM/simulation lab as evidence that you can work inside a controlled cybersecurity boundary.
  6. reflectionWeek 5 Reflection: What Makes a Lab Safe Enough to Trust?Use your virtualization boundary diagram and final lab record.

Week 06

  1. overviewWeek 6: Social Engineering and Human RiskThis week shifts from software and systems to the human interface.
  2. Lesson 1Social Engineering: The Human InterfaceA secure system can still fail if someone convinces an authorized user to open the door for them.
  3. Lesson 2Reconstruct a Social-Engineering AttemptA social-engineering message is often designed to make the victim focus on the request instead of the sequence that produced it.
  4. Lesson 3Human-Risk Defense: Build Better DefaultsSecurity awareness matters, but awareness alone is a weak architecture.
  5. reflectionWeek 6 Reflection: Why Is "Be More Careful" a Weak Control?Use your Human-Risk Playbook and attack-chain work.

Week 07

  1. overviewWeek 7: Phishing and OSINTThis week combines two ideas from the Garden State Cyber human-factor unit:
  2. Lesson 1Phishing: Read the Message Before You Trust the StoryPhishing is social engineering delivered through a communication channel such as email, text message, direct message, or another digital service.
  3. Lesson 2OSINT: What Can Public Information Reveal?Open-source intelligence, or OSINT, is information collected from publicly available sources and analyzed to answer a question.
  4. Lesson 3Phish Myself: Design the Attack, Then Defeat ItThe Garden State Cyber curriculum includes a "Phishing Myself" style project for a reason.
  5. reflectionWeek 7 Reflection: Why Does Context Make Phishing Stronger?Use your OSINT risk brief and synthetic phishing artifact.

Week 08

  1. overviewWeek 8: Vulnerabilities, CVEs, and System HardeningThis week connects public vulnerability information to practical defensive configuration.
  2. Lesson 1Vulnerability, Exploit, and CVE: Name the Weakness PreciselySecurity conversations become sloppy when every flaw is called a hack and every incident is called a vulnerability.
  3. Lesson 2System Hardening: Reduce What Can Go WrongHardening means configuring a system to reduce unnecessary risk.
  4. Lesson 3Hardening Review: Turn Findings Into EvidenceA hardening project is complete only when the recommended state is verified.
  5. checkpointCheckpoint 3: CVE Applicability + Hardening ReportUse the fictional workstation profile from Week 8. Do not scan or modify a real school system.
  6. reflectionWeek 8 Reflection: When Is a System Actually Hardened?Use your hardening report.

Week 09

  1. overviewWeek 9: Threat Modeling and IoT SecurityThis week asks a different security question:
  2. Lesson 1Threat Modeling: Decide What Deserves ProtectionThreat modeling is a structured way to ask what could go wrong before something goes wrong.
  3. Lesson 2IoT Security: The Device Is Only One Part of the SystemAn Internet of Things device is rarely just a gadget.
  4. Lesson 3Home IoT Risk Game: Spend Your Defenses WiselyA threat model becomes useful when you have to make choices.
  5. reflectionWeek 9 Reflection: Which Risk Deserves the Next Dollar?Use your defense budget and My IoT Threat Model worksheet.

Week 10

  1. overviewWeek 10: Bits, Binary, Hex, and EncodingThis week begins the Garden State Cyber data-representation block.
  2. Lesson 1Bits, Bytes, and Binary: How Computers Represent DataComputers store and process information using physical states that can be represented as two values.
  3. Lesson 2Hexadecimal: Read Bytes Without Drowning in BitsBinary is precise, but long binary strings are difficult for humans to scan.
  4. Lesson 3Encoding Is Not EncryptionA string can look unreadable and still provide no secrecy at all.
  5. reflectionWeek 10 Reflection: What Does the Computer Actually Store?Use your conversion work and decoding ledger.

Week 11

  1. overviewWeek 11: Classical CryptographyGarden State Cyber I now moves from representation into historical encryption mechanisms.
  2. Lesson 1Caesar Cipher: When a Secret Depends on a Tiny KeyspaceEncryption is designed to protect information so an unauthorized reader cannot understand it without the required secret or key material.
  3. Lesson 2Transposition and Vigenere: Same Goal, Different MechanismsClassical ciphers can hide a message in different ways.
  4. Lesson 3Cryptotheory Lab: Break the Toy Cipher, Explain the WeaknessThe purpose of a classical-cipher lab is not to prove that encryption is useless.
  5. reflectionWeek 11 Reflection: Why Does a Cipher Fail?Use your cryptanalysis ledger and failure report.

Week 12

  1. overviewWeek 12: Steganography and Hidden DataThis week asks a new question:
  2. Lesson 1Steganography: Hide the Message, Not the MeaningEncryption changes a message so unauthorized readers cannot understand it without the required cryptographic material.
  3. Lesson 2Hex Editor Investigation: Read the File Beneath the PreviewA file viewer shows the interpretation of a file.
  4. Lesson 3Steganography CTF: Find the Hidden EvidenceThis lab combines the representation work from Week 10, classical-crypto reasoning from Week 11, and file analysis from this week.
  5. checkpointCheckpoint 4: Hidden Data InvestigationUse only the teacher-provided synthetic Week 12 artifacts.
  6. reflectionWeek 12 Reflection: When Does a Hidden-Data Claim Become Evidence?Use your CTF investigation records.

Week 13

  1. overviewWeek 13: Advanced Linux CLI and Shell ScriptingThis week returns to the command line with a stronger goal than memorizing commands.
  2. Lesson 1Advanced Linux CLI: Filter the Evidencetaught you how to move through Linux and inspect files without changing them blindly.
  3. Lesson 2Linux and Windows CLI: Same Question, Different ToolsSecurity analysts often move between operating systems. The exact command changes, but the investigative question often stays the same.
  4. Lesson 3Bash Lab: Turn Repeated Analysis Into a Small ScriptA script is useful when you need to perform the same approved analysis more than once.
  5. reflectionWeek 13 Reflection: When Should You Automate an Investigation Step?Use your Bash script and cross-platform translation card.

Week 14

  1. overviewWeek 14: Privacy vs SecurityThis week moves from cryptographic mechanisms to the policy questions those mechanisms create.
  2. Lesson 1Privacy and Security Are Not OppositesPrivacy and security are related, but they are not the same goal.
  3. Lesson 2Case Study: Lawful Access to an Encrypted DeviceThe Garden State Cyber curriculum asks students to study a case in which the FBI sought access to an encrypted iPhone and to review arguments about privacy and security.
  4. Lesson 3Debate Lab: Should Government Have Lawful Access to Encrypted Devices?The Garden State Cyber curriculum culminates this unit with a structured debate:
  5. reflectionWeek 14 Reflection: Which Risk Are You Willing to Accept?Use your post-debate position memo.

Week 15

  1. overviewWeek 15: Computer Components and System DesignGarden State Cyber I now moves into the devices and networks unit.
  2. Lesson 1Computer Components: Follow the Data Through the MachineBefore you can secure a computer, you need a mental model of what the major components do.
  3. Lesson 2Hardware Failure and Security: What Can Go Wrong?Hardware failures are not always security incidents, but they can still affect security goals.
  4. Lesson 3Virtual PC Build: Design the System for the JobThe Garden State Cyber curriculum includes a virtual desktop PC-building activity.
  5. reflectionWeek 15 Reflection: Which Component Failure Matters Most?Use your virtual PC architecture and failure-injection revision.

Week 16

  1. overviewWeek 16: Networking FundamentalsGarden State Cyber I now moves from computer components into the networks connecting them.
  2. Lesson 1Networking Fundamentals: Who Connects to Whom?A network lets computing devices exchange data.
  3. Lesson 2MAC and IP Addresses: Two Different JobsNetworks use several kinds of identifiers.
  4. Lesson 3Network Puzzle Lab: Build the Path, Then Fix the MistakeThis lab turns network vocabulary into a working model.
  5. reflectionWeek 16 Reflection: Where Did the Network Path Actually Fail?Use your network puzzle dossier.

Week 17

  1. overviewWeek 17: ARP and Wireshark Packet AnalysisThis week makes local network behavior visible.
  2. Lesson 1ARP: How a Local Network Finds the Next Interfaceseparated IP addresses from MAC addresses.
  3. Lesson 2Wireshark: Read a Capture Without Touching the NetworkWireshark is a packet-analysis tool.
  4. Lesson 3ARP and Wireshark Lab: Reconstruct the Local ConversationThis lab brings together Week 16 addressing and this week's ARP/Wireshark work.
  5. checkpointCheckpoint 5: Wireshark Packet Evidence InvestigationUse only the provided GSC synthetic capture:
  6. reflectionWeek 17 Reflection: What Does a Packet Capture Actually Prove?Use your ARP/Wireshark analyst summary.

Week 18

  1. overviewWeek 18: Protocols, Packets, and Getting to the InternetThe final week completes Garden State Cyber I with packet switching, TCP/IP concepts, ports, the TCP three-way handshake, and evidence-based packet analysis.
  2. Lesson 1Packets and Protocols: Move Data Without Sending One Giant BlockNetworks do not usually move an entire application message as one undivided object.
  3. Lesson 2TCP Three-Way Handshake: Establish the ConversationTCP provides a connection-oriented transport service.
  4. Lesson 3Final Network Dossier: Explain the Whole TripThis is the final Garden State Cyber I systems task.
  5. checkpointCheckpoint 6: Cybersecurity I Defensive Systems PortfolioThis is the final GSC I mastery checkpoint.
  6. reflectionWeek 18 Reflection: What Changed About Your Definition of Cybersecurity?Use your final Network and Security Dossier and five-artifact portfolio.