TOPIC: Fundamentals of cyber security: Methods to detect and prevent cyber security

threats
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• What is a security measure?
• CAPTCHA
• Biometric security measures
• Password systems
• Automatic software updates

Teacher Activity Pupil Activity

Starter What is a security measure? Discuss (individual/
activity paired or group)
Types of security measures
What is a security
(5-10 mins) measure?
[individual/
paired or Name types of
group] security measures

Created by BT and Cyber Security Challenge UK

Main activity CAPTCHA Discuss (individual/
one paired or group)
What is CAPTCHA?
(15 mins)
What does CAPTCHA stand for?
What is CAPTCHA?
What does CAPTCHA
stand for?

Where have you

seen CAPTCHA’s?
Stands for Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart
• Humans can read disfigured words and character, computers cannot. Discuss the good and
• What is it? CAPTCHA is a program that challenges a user’s negative aspects of
response to determine if they are human or computer. CAPTCHA’s
• What is it used for? This protects against malicious activity caused by automated
programs accessing a site. Unless you can enter the text from the picture/ carry out
an action, you are unable to access the website. Practical activity
• What types of programs use it? Security checks for most To try out a CAPTCHA
websites, banks, social networking, and ballots.
https://www.funcaptcha.
Why is this good security? com/demo/

• Computer programs can’t pass it

• You can bombard a site (attacks) by spam Questions for

discussion?
Negative points?
Have you signed up for
• Makes it longer for you to get on a site (annoying) anything online (social
networks? Anything
• People with visibility problems might not be able to see with an account)?
Email confirmation Did you have to use
Did you receive an email to confirm that was your real email address? an email address?

What is it? It’s a security measure to confirm someone’s identity to confirm an account. Did you receive an
email to confirm that
What’s it’s used for? To ensure you are who you say you are, a real person and stop was your real email
fraud, form of verification address?
What programs use it? Anything where you would create an account online that has
personal information and put in an email address.
Activity
Watch a video of someone verifying there account

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C3ZjqngJ_w

Created by BT and Cyber Security Challenge UK

Plenary one Assess learning against the learning objectives For example:
(5-10 mins) • This is an open activity whereby the teacher will decide on the best approach to do • 5 minute timed
this based on the pedagogical approach your school takes on assessment. writing exercise
on what has been
learned so far

• Fill in class notes

• Have a discussion

• Answer open
questions

• Answer directed
questions

On: CAPTCHA and

Email confirmation

Created by BT and Cyber Security Challenge UK

Main activity Biometric security measures: Discuss (individual/
two paired or group)
What is it? Biometric security devices measure unique characteristics of a person.
(15 mins) With biometrics, it can make it extremely difficult for someone to break into a system.
What is biometric
Examples of unique characteristics of a person:
security measures?
• Voice pattern
Mix and match
• The iris or retina pattern of the eye  security measures
• Finger print patterns.
and if they are
biometric or other.
What is it used for?
• Mobile phone entry e.g. iPhone
Practical activity:
• Building access
• Setting up
Bank account access fingerprint access
on a phone with the
Resources: class (for multiple
• Video on ePassport facial recognition gates at airports users).
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6AVF0GhxNk)

• https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/using-epassport-gates-airport-border-control

Password systems

What are they?

Practical activity:
A password is a secret word or phrase that must be used to gain admission to a • Visit to the network
place. Passwords are considerably harder to crack if they are not words from the manager talking
dictionary and have a sizeable length. about password
management.
What are they used for?

Password systems are implemented in nearly all devices/buildings/software tech to

enable a particular person to gain access. 

Automatic software updates

What is it? Activity:

• Go around asking
Where your computer automatically checks for and updates its software to latest version.  what software you
Why is it important?
have that could be
vulnerable because
Where viruses and attack methods are always evolving it is incredibly important to you have not
have your software applications updating as these recent update may contain new updated.
bits of code which can defend against the new viruses of today. Not having your
software updated means that it may be vulnerable to weaknesses that have been
patched by updates

Created by BT and Cyber Security Challenge UK

Plenary two Assess learning against the learning objectives For example:
(5-10 mins) 5 minute timed writing
This is an open activity whereby the teacher will decide on the best approach to do
exercise on what has
this based on the pedagogical approach your school takes on assessment. been learned so far
• Fill in class notes

• Have a discussion

• Answer open
questions

• Answer directed
questions

On: Biometric security

measures, password
systems and automatic
software updates

Homework Teacher choice based on homework policy of school. For example:

(optional)
Find a site with a
CATPCHA on and then
explain what happens
(used screen shots)
See above

Created by BT and Cyber Security Challenge UK

Key Terms:
CAPTCHA Stands for Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart
• Humans can read disfigured words and character, computers cannot.
• What is it? CAPTCHA is a program that challenges a user’s response to determine if they
are human or computer.
• What is it used for? This protects against malicious activity caused by automated pro-
grams accessing a site. Unless you can enter the text from the picture/ carry out
an action, you are unable to access the website.

• What types of programs use it? Security checks for most websites, banks, social
networking, and ballots.

Email confirmation What is it? It’s a security measure to confirm someone’s identity to confirm an account.
What’s it’s used for? To ensure you are who you say you are, a real person and stop fraud, form
of verification
What programs use it? Anything where you would create an account online that has personal
information and put in an email address.

Created by BT and Cyber Security Challenge UK

Biometric security What is it? Biometric security devices measure unique characteristics of a person. With
measures biometrics, it can make it extremely difficult for someone to break into a system.

Examples of unique characteristics of a person:

• Voice pattern

• The iris or retina pattern of the eye 

• Finger print patterns.

What is it used for?

• Mobile phone entry e.g. iPhone

• Building access

• Bank account access

Password systems What are they?

A password is a secret word or phrase that must be used to gain admission to a place. Passwords
are considerably harder to crack if they are not words from the dictionary and have a sizeable
length.

What are they used for?

Password systems are implemented in nearly all devices/buildings/software etc. to enable a
particular person to gain access. 

Automatic software What is it?

updates Where your computer automatically checks for and updates its software to latest version. 

Why is it important?
Where viruses and attack methods are always evolving it is incredibly important to have your
software applications updating as these recent update may contain new bits of code which can
defend against the new viruses of today. Not having your software updated means that it may
be vulnerable to weaknesses that have been patched by updates.

Created by BT and Cyber Security Challenge UK