There are many options of curriculum that apply to cybersecurity. This is just a small subset of options. This group of courses are ones geared specifically for high school students.

• Cyber.org

  • Cyber.org has a multitude of introductory courses.

  • Some of the courses available on cyber.org:

    • Intro to Cybersecurity (covers all the basics)

    • Cybersecurity Basics (a little more advanced level of intro)

    • Networking

    • Computer Science

  • There is also a cyber range that is free to use that many of the cyber.org labs utilize. This gives students the ability to use industry tools in a safe environment.

  • Free to use

• Teach Cyber

  • Teach Cyber’s curriculum is more robust than the typical high school courses. The curriculum is built for a year-long course, but can pared down to a semester.

  • Grounded in learning science, the instructional materials use a variety of hands-on, active, student-centered learning strategies, including lab experiences using the U.S. Cyber Range.

  • Free to use although U.S. Cyber Range does have a cost associated with it if you are outside of Virginia

  • Topics cover 8 Big Ideas:

    • Ethics

    • Establishing Trust

    • How does the Internet work?

    • How do we protect our data?

    • How do we protect our network?

    • Adversarial Thinking (thinking like the bad guy)

    • Risk

    • Implications

• Codeacademy

  • If you want a short course, codeacademy.com can give you a 6 hour course to see if you are interested in cyber called Intro to Cybersecurity.

  • Free to use (unless you want to get a certificate of completion which is only available in paid versions)

  • No labs available

  • More of a cyber literacy class

  • Topics include:

    • What is Cybersecurity?

    • History and Standards

    • Cyber Threats

    • Cryptography

    • Network Security Basics

    • Securing You Personal Devices

  • Also have classes in AI. Computer Science and many more.

• CodeHS

  • This is a year-long course that goes over all of the basics of cybersecurity called Introduction to Cybersecurity. Link to codehs.com.

  • Allows for further study in topics such as cryptocurrency.

  • Uses their own platform for their labs

  • Free to use for middle school and high school students

  • Also have classes in computer science, networking, advanced cybersecurity, and much more.

  • Topics include:

    • What is Cybersecurity?

    • Digital Citizenship

    • Cryptography

    • System Administration

    • Software Security

    • Network Fundamentals

This group of courses/platforms are more geared for adults, but certainly can be used by students as well!

• tryhackme.com

  • tryhackme.com is great for learning cybersecurity concepts

  • Offers challenge rooms, pathways, and virtual machines

  • Provides hands-on learning experience

  • Sample Learning Paths:

    • Intro to Cybersecurity

    • Jr Pen Tester

    • Cyber Defense

    • SOC Analyst 1

    • Cost is $20 per month for full access, but a lot of the curriculum can be accessed for free

• Coursera - Google Professional Cybersecurity Certification

  • Link to course here

  • 8 course series that covers the following topics:

    • Foundations of Cybersecurity

    • Managing Security Risks

    • Network Security

    • Linux and SQL

    • Assets, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

    • Detection and Response

    • Automate Tasks with Python

    • Prepare for Cybersecurity Jobs

  • Prepares you for the Security + certification plus you have a portfolio of projects you create throughout the courses

  • $49 per month (completion time varies)

• hackthebox.com

  • Link to platform

  • Learn how to be a hacker (and then how to protect against hackers) in a gamified and safe environment

  • Allows students to put theories in practice through academy courses or learn about a very specific tool

  • $14 per month, but you have 2 hours for free to see if you like it

  • Virtual environment to practice skills

• OverTheWire

  • Link to platform

  • Popular and interactive platform that offers a series of hands-on cybersecurity challenges and games to help individuals learn and practice various aspects of computer security. The platform is designed to provide a fun and engaging way to develop practical skills in cybersecurity and hacking, all within a legal and controlled environment.

  • Examples of Challenges:

    • Bandit: A series of beginner-friendly challenges that teach Linux command-line basics and basic security principles.

    • Narnia: More advanced challenges focused on binary exploitation and shellcoding.

    • Narnia: Challenges focused on web security, covering topics like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and more.

    • Pwnable.kr: Another set of challenges involving binary exploitation, memory corruption, and reverse engineering.