The Standoff Kids at PHDays 10: let the children decide

The Standoff Kids will take place at the Positive Hack Days practical cybersecurity forum at the World Trade Center Moscow on May 19, 2021, under the auspices of the Government of Moscow. The event is intended for children aged 10 to 16.

This is the second time that PHDays will introduce young guests to the basics of cyberliteracy and information security, with talks and discussions about the study and career prospects for the future guardians of cyberspace.

«The development of information technologies and the growing demand for online services require a fundamentally new level of protection for urban information systems. Ensuring cybersecurity across the city and training specialists in this area is one of the priority tasks of the Moscow Department of Information Technologies [DIT], and we believe that the basics of this profession need to be taught from childhood. With that in mind, we conduct regular educational webinars on digital literacy and cybersecurity basics for children and their parents. But information is always better absorbed in a fun and playful way. As such the kids’ track at Positive Hack Days will help them acquire even more useful skills and knowledge,» said Eduard Lysenko, Minister of the Government of Moscow and Head of the DIT

Wannabe infosec pros will have the chance to take part in an interactive quest and help the inhabitants of a futuristic city repel the attacks of a host of cunning cyber-predators. To make it interesting for everyone, players will be divided into teams by age and experience.

The smart city of the future is represented by a mock-up of a metropolis with gaming stations and educational installations. Participants will face IT-related tasks, including data search and protection. Models of an airport, amusement park, seaport, and other infrastructure have been built on site. Each team will be given a guide and a navigator tablet with a unique problem-solving scenario for each specific object.

Besides the gaming segments, there will be a series of short, but fact-filled lectures on information security: kids will learn to spot modern cyberthreats and attacks, be introduced to steganography and encryption, and pick up the rules of netiquette.

«Digital literacy plays a vital role in children’s upbringing and education. The rapid uptake of new technologies without sufficient life experience often causes problems,» comments Boris Simis, Deputy CEO for Business Development, Positive Technologies. «The tasks in our virtual city teach children how to protect data and prevent attacks. Our special focus is on gamification, because this is the best way to captivate young minds. And the skills and knowledge gained can be immediately applied in practice.»

The forum and kids’ track organizers are sure that introducing cybersecurity in a gaming format will not only entertain and educate the young participants, but awaken their interest in information security as a profession.