Wick pupils gain cyber awards

WICK High School is pushing to boost the skills of its pupils in the area of cyber security.

Thirty-seven children in S3 have now received SQA awards in Cyber Security Fundamentals, it was announced this week.

A spokesperson for the school said: "After spending two months learning about cyber security threats and how to defend against them, pupils sat an exam that covered both the theory and practical elements of the course."

Over the study period, pupils set up their own pi-top devices – miniature computers running a Linux operating system – and secured them against multiple security threats.

Pupils previously hacked the school smartboard and a teddy bear which had the stuffing knocked out in order to implant a hardware device and camera.

Computing science teacher Chris Aitken said: “With the rise in internet-connected devices, such as smart speakers, watches, vacuum cleaners and kids’ toys, I was looking to generate a discussion on the pervasive nature of these devices.

"I fitted a teddy with a camera, speaker and Raspberry Pi computer and configured it with various vulnerabilities that could be exploited by pupils.”

Mr Aitken said that digital industries in Scotland are growing and students should be suitably prepared for entering this sector as cyber security experts and should garner an understanding of the wider implications of internet security.

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