On 19-25 of March, as part of ALL DIGITAL Week (Hai pe net!), the pupils and teachers of the Ienachita Văcărescu National College in Targoviste, Romania celebrated the international week of digital inclusion.

Curious and enthusiastic, wanting to learn new things, 380 students between the ages of 15 and 17 years old attended an online course either from school or from home. The course, named “Introduction to Cybersecurity", was developed by CISCO through the NetAcad program.

During the first semester, some of the students, along with their teachers, took part in several online classes, as well. These classes were focused on advising the Romanian children about their needs and behavior in the online environment. Thus, the course came as a continuation of what they had previously learned and offered a more in-depth view. This knowledge was very much needed, and the students are interested in learning about cyber security, especially in the context of new technologies involving risks that can seriously affect the individual or organization. 

The learning objectives of the course

1. to learn how to properly protect your personal data
2. to provide as little personal information as possible in online navigation
3. use licensed software to protect personal computers and created accounts
4. learn to create powerful passwords using various programs
5. to access their Netacad account properly
6. to launch and follow the planned course on the Netacad platform

Training Stages:

1. Presenting the discussion topic and the prepared materials

2. Presentation of the Netacad platform and the initiated course

3. Attending the course and completing it

4. Obtaining the certificate based on the course

5. Completing the feedback

The students were familiarized with modern cyber security mechanisms and concepts, with the main typologies of cyber attacks, as well as methods of good practice for counteracting these categories of attacks that could affect the availability, integrity and confidentiality of the functioning of information systems. The courses were supported by the school’s teachers: Rafira Anca Mihaela, Vlad Cătălina Estera, Cîrstea Nicoleta Ancuţa, Chiriac Beatrice Mihaela, Diaconu Diana Elena.

Feedback from participants

"By taking part in this course, I understood that the security of the computer and the network it is part of is essential to securing the data and maintaining the equipment in operation" (G.A. - 15 years);

"It's an activity worth doing! I found out new and interesting things."(M.A. – 16 years);

"I was aware of these things, but in a different form! I am glad that I became part of this course, which I highly recommend!" (Z.A.L. - 15 years);

"I heard  about the existence of viruses for mobile phones, tablets, computers, TCP / IP attacks, but I did not know much about them. By taking part in the course I became familiar with other types of attacks like SYN, DoS, DDos, Spoofing, Replay, Man-in-the-Middle and I was informed about the possible security solutions. The “Introduction to Cybersecurity” course is very useful, with up-to-date information, and I recommend it to everyone who is interested, because each equipment or network can be subjected to attacks by malicious people and for this reason the user or organization has to define a security policy." (V.C.M. - 16 years).

 "This was a very interesting activity for the students of our college. I am convinced that the novelty of the course’s information will increase the interest of the students in this subject." (P.V – teacher of mathematics).