Students' Cybersecurity 2 - Social Engineering

Are you safe online?

• Are students safe?
• What could happen?
• What should one do to improve their cybersecurity?
• What is social engineering?
• Are we being manipulated?

This is a follow-up to the project from a year ago. Cybersecurity is a big issue and requires immediate action. This semester the project is focusing on social engineering and manipulation - topics that are very interdisciplinary.

We will gather materials, research and analyse this topic and try to make a difference. We will try to organise terminology, look at the legal and psychological aspects, bring in politics and society, and through all of that, hope to create new materials to use for students' cybersecurity learning and awareness.

We will meet in person and online. Students are expected to participate in as many meetings as possible to make sure cooperation works. The working language of the project is English but we can also create materials in Estonian if we have enough people.

The project works together with a cybersecurity group in TalTech. We plan meetings in class but some might happen online with guests. More information in the first meeting. Make sure you don't miss more than two meetings, this is a group effort.

The aim of the project

The goal of the project is to bring together different fields to research and help create new materials, helping tools and terminology to teach cybersecurity and raise awareness. The focus this time is on social engineering and manipulation.

The project is aimed at helping students (school or university) but could be expanded if needed.

Interdisciplinary approach

The topic needs an interdisciplinary approach. If you are interested in the field and are studying one of the following things, you are very welcome to join us:

• psychology;
• law;
• programming, information technology;
• social studies of any kind;
• education;
• game technology and education technology;
• linguistics, languages;

All others are very welcome to join us as well. We also have a team in Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), working on similar topics.

Research base and innovation

The research base of this project will be relevant for each level.

1. In order to analyse the topic, we must understand cybersecurity and social engineering. The first step of research will be focused on these topics.
2. Different fields should bring in research from their own fields to help us understand the main theme of our project.
3. The final stage of our project is sorting terminology, developing materials and other ideas you might have. All of these things require background understanding, therefore the final step in research is learning how to raise awareness and teach different topics.

All participants can bring in their background knowledge and will learn something new.

Project outcome

Hopefully, we will make a difference. What will be the means, is up to the participants.

Possible outcomes:

• terminology development;
• teaching materials for students;
• awareness-raising resources.

Compulsory tasks

• Creating LIFE project plan with the team members
• Filling out LIFE mid-term report with the team members (by intermediate week)
• Participating in the feedback session during intermediate week
• Writing a self-reflective report about one’s role as a team member and about others’ responsibilities in project work (present individually to supervisor)
• Put together LIFE project portfolio which should include the project report, action plan, media coverage and project evaluation
• Participating as a team in the presentation day of LIFE projects and presenting the results of the activities carried out within the team
• In order to complete the independent work, students are required to participate actively in the meetings arranged within the project and to fulfil the commitments made to the team