Cyber Career Academy
Enterprise security, SOC operations, incident response, forensics, cloud and AI security — ending in a capstone defended before mentors.
- Grades
- Grades 11–12
- Length
- 14 modules
- Group size
- 25–30 students with 1–2 participating educators
- Where it runs
- School-day enrichment, After-school, Weekend academy, Summer camp, Library / community center
Skills students build
Before joining
Cyber Defender I or equivalent basics recommended.
How progress is checked
- Lab and simulation evidence
- Capstone investigation and portfolio
- Capstone defense with mentor feedback
What students learn, step by step
Every lesson ends with something students make, explain or show.
| Module | Topic | What students learn | What students produce |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enterprise Security Architecture | Layers, trust boundaries, defense in depth | Risk/control map |
| 2 | Advanced Networking | Routing, segmentation, VPN concepts | Segmentation rationale |
| 3 | Linux Administration for Security | Processes, permissions, logs | Hardening investigation |
| 4 | Python Security Automation | Parsing, enrichment, automation workflows | Working defensive tool |
| 5 | IAM & Zero Trust | Identity lifecycle, roles, conditional access | Access model |
| 6 | Vulnerability Management | Asset context, exploitability, remediation | Risk-based backlog |
| 7 | SOC & SIEM | Alerts, correlation, triage, escalation | SOC queue simulation |
| 8 | Threat Analysis | Indicators, tactics/techniques concepts | Threat brief |
| 9 | Incident Response | Preparation through recovery | IR tabletop and response plan |
| 10 | Digital Forensics | Host/network evidence concepts | Forensic findings report |
| 11 | Cloud Security | IAM, storage, encryption, logging | Cloud control recommendations |
| 12 | AI Security | Prompt injection, data leakage, model misuse awareness | AI risk mitigation brief |
| 13 | Executive Communication | Technical-to-business communication | Executive incident briefing |
| 14 | Career Capstone | Integrated investigation and portfolio | Capstone defense and mentor feedback |
What students build
- Working Python defensive tool
- SOC queue simulation
- School cyber-incident capstone: timeline, containment plan and executive briefing
How we keep it safe
- Authorized only — all activities stay inside approved sandboxed environments
- No real targets — students do not attack live systems, scan public targets or use real credentials
- No sensitive data — exercises use fictional data
- AI security is taught as recognition and mitigation, not bypassing real systems
Capstone: a school cyber-incident investigation
High-school teams investigate a simulated incident, recommend containment and brief decision-makers.
- 1
Alert
A suspicious login is reported.
- 2
Evidence
Students review emails and logs.
- 3
Analyze
Build the timeline and scope.
- 4
Contain
Recommend controls and a response.
- 5
Brief
Present technical and executive summaries.
More Cybersecurity tracks
Students can move up to the next grade band in later years.
Cyber Explorers
A safe, engaging entry into cybersecurity: ethics, identity, phishing, networking, Linux, cryptography and a beginner capture-the-flag.
Cyber Defender I
From awareness to defensive skill: risk, OS security, identity and access, Python for cyber, logs, forensics, cloud and incident response.
Ask about Cyber Career Academy
About: Cybersecurity Pathway — Cyber Career Academy (Grades 11–12)