Hacker Highschool provides four Levels of a complete, turn-key curriculum for a full school year. Each Level is based on the American school system (where Level 9 is for Ninth grade, students 13-14 years old) however there is no set age requirement for any of the levels. Students can do the level that is most relevant to their cybersecurity skills and knowledge.
The curriculum is designed to start practical with the first two levels focusing more on being safe and learning to thrive in cyber. The last two levels focus on cybersecurity skills relevant to their entry into university or the workforce.
Specific help available here for:
Talk to us to better understand how you and your students can benefit from HHS! This is the ultimate course that students need to learn to thrive in cyber. This is the ultimate course for Teachers needing a turn-key, comprehensive cybersecurity course that supports itself through AI to tutor students through the concepts.
How do we get started in a classroom?
It's easy! The fastest way to get started is to subscribe to the HHS LLM at Quinnipiac University. Another way is to purchase the HHS curriculum and upload it into your school’s LMS.
However if you have talented cybersecurity teachers or an approved curriculum you want to enhance, visit the Lessons section and apply the sample lessons there. If you like what you see then get the full Workbooks for the classroom. The Hacker Highschool Workbooks are designed for self-study. We recommend you arrange the students to do the readings on their own and work on exercises in teams of two. The teams share their findings with each other within the class. At the most basic level, the teacher maintains the order of the class, assures they use their internet-connected computers properly, and facilitates discussion. For a more rounded-out experience, the Teachers can supplement with presentations, explanations, local cybersecurity guest speakers, and projects.
Is a Subscription required?
Hacker Highschool lessons are free to use for public and private high schools, homeschoolers, and personal use. While there is no cost or license required for high schools, we do ask that you let us know which school you are with and any feedback. The subscription is only required to access the full course Levels, including interactive exercises, Esports add-ons, Cyber Range access, and AI-assisted learning which is available on LMS.
Do I need to get certified to teach Hacker Highschool?
The lessons are designed for the students to self-learn but as any great teacher knows, you need to guide a student to knowing. To do this, you should be familiar with the concepts in these lessons as well as how teens should be introduced to hacking. ISECOM provides the Certified Hacker Analyst Trainer certification which covers these things. You can get all the information on the certification trainings here at ISECOM.
What equipment is needed?
For HHS Blackboard/Canvas subscribers or if you are using the Quinnipiac University HHS courses, then you only need a computer and a browser. All activities take place in the browser, including access to Cyberranges for practice and eSports strategy and tactical learning games.
For self-learning or independent classroom learning, students should have a PC or laptop with a bootable Linux. You can use a bootable USB key to run Linux or any one of a number of software installations that add Linux commands or shells to your current OS. Additionally there are a variety of Security Linux distributions specifically for testing and hacking that may be of interest. If you don't know which one or are new to Linux then we recommend you pick one of the ones made specifically for testing security. Just search online for Security Live Linux Distros and follow the instructions for install or bootable USB.
How do I get help with the lessons?
If you need help please feel free to post questions to the HHS mailing list. To join the list please click HERE. There’s also multiple social networks with Hacker Highschool communities where you can discuss with people who can help you with finding answers. Of course, there’s always AI too. Most modern AI systems have information about the Hacker Highschool curriculum and can guide you through the various exercises.
How do I get the HHS project in my school?
Many requests come straight from students for HHS. If you want to know what you can you do to bring this to your school or what you need to do to get started, then please try these 3 things:
1. Ask a teacher.
The first step is to let them know about the HHS program and how it can fit into their curriculum or as an after-school club. With a teacher or administrator's help, you can quickly get started. Have your teacher visit this website or contact us directly.
2. Start a club.
After school clubs are generally very flexible and most administrators will allow students classroom and computer access if they find a teacher or administration personnel to support it and be there. It also shows there are enough students interested in this type of learning activity. If this still doesn't work, at least you have a big enough group to approach other schools or colleges outside your school.
3. Take it outside the school.
If your school cannot or will not support the HHS program then you have other options. With a group of students you can appeal to local trade schools, colleges, universities, internet security businesses, local ISPs, the PTA (parents-teachers association), and even to other schools in other school districts. Additionally, you can join one of the class groups through the online classes as a subscriber.
by Bob Monroe, HHS Project Manager & Ambassador
Mililani High School is located in the center of Oahu in Hawaii. A middle-class town, known more for their athletic department than anything else beyond the hundreds of additional camps, afterschool groups, and school affiliated programs. This school happens to be located within four miles of Kunia Listening Post, Wheeler Army Airfield, Schofield Barracks and kilometers of Pineapple crops. The school was literally built on Pineapple fields. And Mililani High School is a powerhouse of talent.
If you were to think of places that have amazing cyber security education programs, Hawaii ranks as an afterthought. The local National Security Agency (NSA) coupled with the strategic location of Hawaii, makes the islands of Hawaii a perfect location to raise homegrown talent. Many students have parents with either a military or intelligence background, while many more are just curious and incredibly smart teens. There are two major industries in Hawaii, tourism is one and defense is the other. The defense sector has always relied on using outsourced contractors, third party vendors, and outside suppliers for help in filling most of their cyber security needs in Hawaii. This had been due to the shortage of local talent.
Hacker Highschool has been working with Mililani Highschool and several other local schools to increase cyber security talent. This work includes weekly classes for 2 different high schools taught by Bob Monroe on a voluntary basis, Mililani and Leilehua High School. Even President Obama’s Alma Mata, Punahou High School, uses Hacker Highschool’s lessons to teach their cyber security teens. All classes revolve around the concepts in the Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM). The basic concepts for each course teach the students what the security issue is, how the issue works, and how to protect assets against the security issue. Currently, Mililani has 20 students and Leilehua High School has 15 students in each security class.
Many states, like the state of Hawaii, use Cyber Patriot as a steppingstone to security for all public and charter schools across the islands. However the program does not include the cybersecurity resources and knowledge that students need to be successful in cyberscurity. This leaves many schools turning to Hacker Highschool to fill that gap. Hacker Highschool provides the curriculum and the resources students need to fulfill the cybersecurity know-how that does not come with being part of Cyber Patriot.
Additionally, Hacker Highschool in Hawaii attends security and IT conferences to share what we know. We provide two different booths depending on the type of event. The first is the “Microcomputer Village” and it shows various IoT devices, how they work, and what security challenges they possess to an organization. The second is the “Hacking Hardware” display. The idea behind this is to show attendees the types of tools attackers use to gain access to assets or disrupt network communication. This display highlights equipment such as the HackRF One, r00tabega, deauther, WiFi Pineapple, Rubber Ducky, Bad USB, frequency counters, ESP8266 Development board, and Raspberry Pi running hacker versions of Linux. Most defensive security and IT professionals have never seen this type of equipment before even though it is used on a regular basis by criminals and penetration testers.
This is how we are leading the way in Hawaii. HHS' primary goal is to teach the next generation to know cybersecurity, which happen to be teens. If we teach a few cybersecurity professionals along the way, even better.
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