Try playing the new game

NOVA Cybersecurity Lab

Image: Courtesy of NOVA

NOVA's Cybersecurity Lab is a game designed to teach people how to keep their digital lives safe, spot phishing scams, learn the basics of coding, and defend against cyber attacks. Players assume the role of chief technology officer of a start-up social network company that is the target of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. In the game, players must complete challenges to strengthen their cyber defenses and thwart their attackers. The Cybersecurity Lab serves as a resource for anyone who wants to learn how to stay safe online and provides an introduction to computer science.

In the Coding Challenge, players program a robot to navigate a maze using drag- and-drop commands. In the Password Cracking Challenge, a series of “password duels” teach players the basics of how attackers might try to crack their passwords and how they can make better, more secure passwords. In the Social Engineering Challenge, players are presented with two apparently similar e-mails, Web sites, or calls and have to identify the differences between them and then select which is a scam attempting to steal information or money.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/nova-cybersecurity-lab/