Teacher’s Guide

Background:

The purpose of this demonstration is to teach students about the challenge of securing cyberspace. We also wish to interest students in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) subjects, and give students a basic introduction to the idea of coding.

The grand challenge that this project is focused on is securing cyberspace. This grand challenge is important because there is no single solution. With technology constantly evolving and creating a greater dependence on computers, more computer scientists and security experts have become necessary to protect information as hacking methods continue to evolve [1]. In the current day we all keep information online, and so protecting cyberspace means protecting bank accounts, personal information, and passwords. The recent Sony hacks have demonstrated that steps must be taken to protect cyberspace as millions of dollars were lost because personal data was stolen in an illegal breach of both security and privacy [2]. Securing cyberspace can at first seem distant and unrelated to our everyday lives, but in reality it is essential to the well being of the human race.

Learning Objectives: 1.To understand the importance of securing cyberspace 2.To gain a basic understanding of algorithms 3.Be able to understand a basic encryption process 4.Understand how basic encryption and decryption work

Definitions [3]: Encryption ­ The process by which a message is made impossible to understand,

except to the receiver. Cyberspace ­ The electronic medium of computer networks, in which online

communication takes place. Decryption ­ The process by which an encrypted message is unscrambled to

reveal the meaning of the message. Algorithm ­ A logical arithmetical or computational procedure that if correctly

applied, solves a problem.

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Technical Background:

Why we’re focusing on encryption.

Securing Cyberspace is a massive challenge and is not one that can easily be tackled in a few simple steps. A great place to start is in the area of encryption as this is a part of cyberspace that every person deals with on a daily basis. Every username and password that we enter on our computers is encrypted to prevent hackers from stealing this information and exploiting us [4].

Encryption hides information.

Encryption is defined as the process by which messages are made impossible to understand to all but the receiver. It is commonly used in cyberspace to ensure that malicious hackers are unable to obtain passwords or other valuable information for them to steal and exploit. All sorts of messages can be encrypted with a variety of algorithms to make them look like gibberish to all but the intended audience who can utilize an algorithm to read the hidden message [5]. This is especially important with data sent over a network.

Packets carry information on the internet.

All information sent on the internet is sent in the form of packets. A packet is a tiny piece of data with an address for the sender and the recipient. Packets are transferred from the sender then relayed between multiple servers until they reach their destination. Packets are not always kept private and malicious users can sometimes see packets while in transit. Encryption is used to make sure the data carried in packets is kept secure while it is between computers [6].

In our demonstration students will encrypt packets.

We decided to explain encryption by pretending that envelopes full of candy are digital packets in transit across the internet. In our activity students will first come up with instructions for scrambling a sentence, and will use their instructions on a sentence. Then, a second group will try to ‘hack’ the first group’s envelope by guessing the sentence that the first group jumbled. Finally, a third group of students will get instructions from the first group and will decode the sentence. This process is described in more detail below.

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Preparation (10 Minutes) All the following items should be organized before class.

Activity Materials Materials Price Per Pack Quantity Per Pack

Envelopes ­ (one for each group)

$7.00 100

Hard Candy ­ (at least one for every student)

$5.00 150+

Paper N/A N/A

*These prices are based off Amazon This chart contains all the necessary materials needed for this activity. An image of the materials is below.

Once the material have been prepared, the number of teams should be determined. The students will be in teams of two. Teams of three are ok. There will need to be a sentence for each team. (A teacher key is attached to this document to keep these sentences straight. See Appendix A) The following are some sentences that could be used for this activity.

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The dog is mad. The cat is sad. The car is red. The mug is new. The bat is bad. The cow is fat. The hat is fun.

There can be modifications made to these sentences. For example “The dog is fat” is a sentence that could be used. All the sentences contain the same number of characters so that students cannot just guess which sentence it is based off of its length. Also, words like zoo should be avoided because they have repeated letters and would be easy to guess. On the teacher key write down the sentences to be used in the activity. Label each one with a letter of the alphabet. Below is an example: C The dog is mad. D The cat is sad. E The car is red. B The mug is new. A The bat is bad. G The cow is fat. F The hat is fun. Now that all the sentences are labeled, the envelopes and materials need to be set up. Each envelope should be labeled with a letter corresponding to a sentence. Slips of paper with sentences on them must be cut out and placed inside the envelopes. (See the image on the next page.)

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Distribution: All of the groups should be given one handout as well as scratch paper to work out their encryptions and decryptions. The definitions in the handout can also be handed out (Appendix B).

Demonstration:

Encryption (20 Minutes): Step 1: The instructor will start with this phase by passing out the handout. Students will be asked to write instructions in order to scramble a sentence. They should be provided examples on scrambling sentences such as the examples provided in Appendix B. The students will be given around 10 minutes to create the steps to be used for encrypting their sentences. The instructor should walk around and assist the students and check the students instructions.

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A set of completed instructions completed by a 5th grade student. Step 2: After all the students are finished, the instructor should present the students with an envelope containing one of the sample sentences. Students will be asked to write the sentence they are given in box (2) on each group’s handout.

This shows what the teacher hands out and what the student will write.

Step 3: After this the students will move onto box (3) of the handout where they will use their encryption steps to scramble their sentence. This step will take a few minutes, and like before, should students need assistance with this area, the instructor should aid them.

Example of encrypted sentence written by student.

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Step 4: Students should then come up with instructions to reverse their encryption they made in box (1), and write the instructions in box (4). This step should take around 10 minutes.

List of decryption instructions written by a student.

Step 5: Students should then copy the letter from the envelope on to page 2 of the handout in box (5).

Writing the letter in box (5)

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Step 6: Once the students have completed their sentences, have them write the final encryption on the front of the envelope they were given earlier.

Example of encryption written on the front of an envelope.

Step 7: Provide the students with candy and have the students insert it into the envelope and then shut it. Collect the envelopes as well as page 2 of the handouts. Hacking (7 Minutes):

Step 1: The instructor will start this phase by giving each group an envelope from a different group, and telling them not to write on the envelope during this stage. The students will have 7 minutes to make a guess of what the message was originally. To aid the students, the teacher should write all of the possible steps on the board. Step 2: Inform each team that they only have one guess and when ready, they will tell the instructor what they think the original message was. If a group guesses correctly, they get to open the envelope and take the candy. Once the hacking phase is complete, the instructor will collect all the envelopes and put candy back into any hacked envelopes to ensure that all students have an opportunity to receive some candy.

Decrypting (7 Minutes): Step 1: This phase will begin with the instructor distributing envelopes to the students for a third time. Please ensure that students do not receive the envelopes that they attempted to hack nor the ones that they encrypted themselves. Once each group has a new envelope, the instructor will pass out the correct decryption algorithms (page

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2 of the handout) to each group, ensuring that the letter on the handout matches the letter on the envelope. Step 2: The students will then be notified that they will receive 7 minutes to complete the decryption phase. Students will use the decryption algorithm to decrypt the sentence on the envelope they have. When the students are ready, they will ask the teacher if they have correctly decrypted the sentence.

Students will use the decryption instructions written by previous students to decrypt the sentence on the envelope. Step 3: If a group correctly guesses the original sentence, they can open the envelope and take the candy. During this phase, students should get as many guesses as they need.

Follow Up (10 Minutes): Once the demonstration is complete, all materials can be thrown away or recycled. The students may want to compare algorithms and learn how the more complex ones are the more successful ones. Some questions that could be asked to the students are:

“What techniques worked the best for creating the better algorithms?” “What would you change if you were going to do this again?” “As a hacker, what made the algorithm easy or difficult to hack?”

It should also be mentioned how writing instructions is similar to writing code. Before any programmer writes code, he or she will usually write instructions on what the program should do. He or she will later convert those instructions into code. Additional Resources: For additional resources with this demonstration, see Appendix C.

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Sources: [1] H. Gilbert Miller & Richard H. Murphy :"Secure Cyberspace: Answering the Call for Intelligent Action http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4983406

[2] Frizell, Sam. "Sony Is Spending $15 Million to Deal With the Big Hack." Time. Time, 4 Feb. 2015. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.http://time.com/3695118/sony­hack­the­interview­costs/

[3] Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 03 Feb 2015 http://dictionary.reference.com/

[4] Bishop, M. ; Dept. of Comput. Sci., California Univ., Davis, CA, USA http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1176998

[5] "InvSoftworks." Quick Intro to Encryption. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.http://www.kryptel.com/articles/encryption_software_basics.php

[6] "Packet­Switched vs. Circuit­Switched Networks." Computerworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb.2015.http://www.computerworld.com/article/2593382/networking/packet­switched­vs­­circuit­switched­networks.html

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Appendix A: Teacher Key

Teacher Key

This key is to help make the activity run smoothly for the students. Come up with a sentence for each group of students that there is. The following are some sentences that could be used

for this activity.

The dog is mad.

The cat is sad.

The car is red.

Each sentence should be put onto a line on the right side. After creating these sentences, a

letter should be placed on the left line. The letters should be randomized and individual to each

sentence. (For assistance, see the Teacher Key example)

Letter Sentence

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

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_____ _______________________________________________________________

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Teacher Key Example with 5 groups

Letter Sentence

__E__ ____The dog is fat._______________________________________________

__D__ ____The cat is sad._______________________________________________

__B__ ____The cow is mad.______________________________________________

__A__ ____The car is new._______________________________________________

__C__ ____The bat is bad._______________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

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_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

_____ _______________________________________________________________

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Appendix B: Student Handouts

Definitions: Encryption ­ Scrambling sensitive information so that it is impossible to read for

anyone except the person it is meant for.

Decryption ­ Unscrambling an encrypted message to reveal the meaning of the

message.

Algorithm ­ Step by step instructions that are designed to perform a task.

Example steps to encrypt (scramble) a sentence:

Switch all A’s with D’s.

Switch the first and last letter of each word

Add a random number at the beginning of each word.

Switch the first and last word.

Replace the letter B with (Or some other symbol)

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Appendix C: Additional Resources: Here are some sources that may help students and or the instructor learn more about Securing Cyberspace. The Grand Challenge of Securing Cyberspace http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9042.aspx General “how to” on how encryption works. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/encryption.htm Information on Packets http://www.livinginternet.com/i/iw_packet_packet.htm Here are some images also that can be used in the demonstration.

This image shows the encryption of a phrase.

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This shows the total amount of malware that has been created. More and more malware is

created and thus Securing Cyberspace is an important issue.

http://www.av­test.org/en/statistics/malware/

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