11th September 2020Young People and Cyber Crime Briefing- 6th October 13:30
On Tuesday 6th October, SEGfL and South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) will be running a briefing event. It is aimed at anyone working with children and young people, to provide them with background knowledge in how young people get into cyber crime, the opportunities available to support and how to develop their technical skills in a positive way. Suggestions will also be provided for protecting schools and workplaces from cyber attacks. You do not need any technical knowledge to attend.
This course will be delivered online using Microsoft Teams. There will be two sessions with a 10 minute break in between, but it will be run as a single Microsoft Teams event. Details below…
Cyber Choices – Safeguarding in a Digital World (1.30-2.30)
The digital world is taking over all aspects of life and young people need to be guided in how to use digital technology appropriately. In the UK, 1 in 4 teenagers admits to having tried to break into someone else’s online account. Teens are more likely to be illegally hacking than smoking, having sex or being in a gang. 61% of criminal hackers started before they were 16 years old. The average age of arrest for Cyber Crime is just 17 years old – it is 37 for non-Cyber Crime.
Many young people find their own way into the world of cyber, with little to no guidance from adults and peers. Parents, teachers and other influences admit they are unaware of the risk and harm from some of these activities. Young people turn to Google, YouTube and other online platforms to learn and polish their skills with no consideration of the boundaries and a lack of understanding of the law in the UK. The platforms they use are global and do not warn young people that they may be showing or teaching illegal activities.
Many start out on a pathway into Cyber Crime through online gaming. Clearly not all gamers become criminals, but when UK law enforcement find the Cyber Criminals we find that many started out by learning how to cheat in online games, deploying techniques such as Denial of Service against their competition. This requires no skill at all if you have access to a PayPal account.
There is a predicted global shortfall of cyber security professionals which will reach 1.8 million by 2022. The diversity of skills required is massive and your pupils could fill that cyber gap. The Cyber Choices team will signpost advice and free resources for teaching and engaging with young people.
This session will delve into:
- Pathways into Cyber Crime
- The need to safeguard young people
- When and how to intervene professionally
- The opportunities available to young people in the world of cyber
- Personal and professional cyber security awareness techniques
Cyber Protect – The Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack on a School – and Defending Yours (2:30-3:40)
Don’t be put off – this won’t be technically heavy and is suitable for anybody! Many would wonder why anybody would attack a school in the cyber world. Sadly, the education sector frequently features in the list of major investigations for law enforcement in the UK. The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) Cyber Protect and Prepare team will dissect a real-world cyber-attack on a South-East school which occurred in early 2020 from attack to investigation. Techniques and opportunities to have prevented or mitigated the attack will be discussed and attendees will be sign-posted to free resources to improve their cyber security and resilience. Topics to cover include:
- Why the education sector is regularly attacked
- Remote working – top tips
- How to handle Passwords
- Critical steps to protect the move into the Cloud – Office 365, GSuite and others
- Cyber housekeeping – the little but critical steps to keep the school safe
- The importance of Backups, how they go wrong – and getting them right
Bookings for this event are being managed by East Sussex County Council but it is open to all working across the region. To secure a place, please complete the booking form here