Networks, Cyber Security and Digital Citizenship

Connected, and at risk

Almost every device today is connected to a network. A network is two or more devices joined together to share data and resources, and being connected is powerful: it lets us send messages, share files and reach the whole internet. But the same connection that brings those benefits also brings risk, because it gives other people a route to your device and your information. Staying safe online means understanding three things: how networks work, the threats that target them, and how to protect yourself. It also means being a good digital citizen, using technology responsibly and thinking about the trail you leave behind. This module covers networks and how data travels, common cyber security threats and the measures that stop them, and what it means to behave safely and responsibly online.

Networks and security words

Learn these terms before the threats are matched to how they work. They name the connections and the dangers.

Match each threat to how it works

A LAN against a WAN

Networks are grouped by the area they cover, and the two main types behave differently.

Is this message a phishing attempt?

An email says your account will be closed unless you click a link and enter your password immediately. What is the safest response?

• Do not click; check with the organisation through its official website
• Click the link quickly before the account closes
• Reply with your password to keep the account open
• Forward it to friends to warn them

You are the strongest lock, or the weakest

The most advanced security can be undone by one careless click, and the simplest habits stop most attacks. Attackers often target people rather than machines: a convincing fake message, a password reused everywhere, an over-shared post. So real protection has two halves. The technical half is updates, antivirus software, a firewall that filters traffic, and encryption that scrambles data. The human half is you: pause before clicking a link, use a strong and different password for every account, switch on two-step verification where you can, and think before you share personal information. Treat any unexpected request for your details with suspicion. The technology matters, but the careful user is the lock an attacker finds hardest to pick.

Pick the ways to stay secure

Select every action that helps keep you secure online.

• Use a strong, unique password for each account
• Keep software up to date
• Install and update antivirus software
• Share your password with friends
• Click any link an email sends you

Order how data travels across a network

Put the steps of sending data across a network in order.

• The device breaks the data into small packets
• Each packet is labelled with its destination address
• A router directs the packets across the network
• The packets travel, sometimes by different routes
• The receiving device reassembles them into the data

Complete the network facts

A network covering a small area such as a school is a _____. A network covering a large area, like the internet, is a _____. Harmful software that damages or steals is called _____. Scrambling data so only authorised people can read it is called _____.

Tap the two signs of a scam email

Tap the TWO features that are warning signs of a scam or phishing email.

• it demands you act urgently or lose access
• it asks for your password or bank details
• it comes from a contact you saved yourself
• it has no links and asks for nothing

A house with locks and habits

Think about keeping a house safe. Good locks help, but they do nothing if you leave the door open or hand a stranger the key. Real safety is locks plus habits: you lock up when you leave, you do not let in someone you do not know, and you keep the spare key hidden. Staying safe online is the same mix. The tools are your locks: software updates, protective software, and a barrier that filters what tries to come in. Your habits are the rest: a strong and different key for every door, a pause before you trust an unexpected caller, and care about what you leave on show. Neither half works alone, but together they stop almost everything.

The cyber-safety run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Keep each user safe

Read each situation and choose the safest action.

• A message asks a user to confirm their password by replying to it. What should they do?
• A user has one simple password that they use everywhere. What is the safest change?
• A user is about to post personal details publicly. What should they think about?

Build a digital-citizenship sentence

Choose the word for each gap to complete one point about staying safe online.

Explain how to stay safe online

A friend has just got their first laptop and is worried about staying safe online. Using what you have learned, explain how to stay safe on networks and online.

• Explain the difference between a LAN and a WAN
• Explain two common cyber security threats
• Explain how strong passwords and software updates protect you
• Explain what a firewall or antivirus software does
• Explain what digital citizenship and a digital footprint mean