MFS Cyber-Awareness
Lauren Kam
How cyber-aware are MFS Middle School and Upper School students?
What cybersecurity topics are missing in our technology curriculum?
Why I Did It
Personal Interest
I've been interested in cybersecurity for years, using various opportunities and resources to build up my knowledge-base. I wanted to find a way to use all that I've learned to benefit the MFS community.
Lockheed Martin Internship
I interned at Lockheed Martin's Cyber Innovations team over the summer; throughout the two months, I learned about cyber attack vectors that I'd never thought of before, like social engineering. I was curious to see if these topics would be new to MFS students.
Cybersecurity Club
Through Cybersecurity Club, I've been able to meet other students who also have a passion for cybersecurity, and while we taught each other much of our own knowledge, I realized that there was still so much that we as a group didn't know that would be beneficial to our digital future.
The Process
Obstacle 1: Getting Permission & Changing Focus
Originally, I was going to focus my capstone on phishing (fake emails to trick recipients into interacting with it as a way to gain information). I would have sent fake phishing emails to students and faculty to collect data on their alertness to such emails. Due to technical difficulties and concerns about causing anxiety and worry amongst students and faculty, after long deliberation and trying different solutions, we decided to focus on cyber-awareness (using Google Forms) instead.
Obstacle 2: Changing Advisors
In the process of changing topics from phishing to cyber-awareness, my original advisor, Mr. Wartenberg, left MFS. I changed advisors to Mr. Kolaris, caught him up on my capstone progression, and exchanged ideas on what a capstone on cyber-awareness could look like. The timing of this switch minimized its negative consequences on my capstone's progression, and we quickly picked up where Mr. Wartenberg and I left off.
Getting Data
Sample of Graphs/Data
Changes to be Implemented
Introducing social engineering into the technology curriculum
Emphasize phishing and its dangers
Possibly get outside speakers to present a different perspective on cybersecurity
Suggesting the idea of a "Cybersecurity Education Week", modeled after Drug Education Week
This would serve as a refresher for high schoolers, who no longer have regular technology classes
Next Steps
Oversee the implementation of Cybersecurity Education Week
Do continuous surveys of the Middle/Upper School student body to ensure basic and essential cybersecurity concepts are maintained and understood
Introduce regular evaluations of basic cybersecurity knowledge to other schools to ensure that their students graduate with enough knowledge to stay safe online
Big picture goal: create a higher baseline of cybersecurity knowledge in society
Self-Reflection
While my capstone project today looks nothing like what I envisioned it to be when I first applied, I'm still proud of what I've done. There were many obstacles in my way, but I took it in stride and made the necessary adjustments in a timely manner.
By ensuring that MFS students have the basic knowledge necessary for avoiding attacks online, I took a great step towards my goal of making the internet safer for everyone.
Although this project is very different from the work I envision myself doing in the future (probably in an Incident Response Team), it gave me a chance to explore topics of cybersecurity I'd overlooked in the past and gain a more complete understanding of potential attack vectors for civilians.
Advice
Be Flexible!
While you may be set on a specific capstone project, sometimes there are curveballs thrown your way that force you to take a step to the side and change some parts of your capstone (e.g. COVID-19, Gmail phishing filters, teachers leaving). Keep the core/theme of your capstone the same, but keep your options open to exploring various niches within that core.
Take Initiative!
Go to your advisor meetings ready with questions written down to make that check-in as productive as it can be. Feel comfortable putting all of your ideas on the table and not simply agreeing with the first idea your advisor suggests. Remember that your advisor is helping you, not doing the project!
