Interactive Cyber Security: Learn with AR and Cipher Wheels
Safety/ Security
Key takeaways
Groove Jones collaborated with the National 4-H Council for the third time to create an interactive Web AR experience for their new online educational platform, CLOVER by 4-H. This experience allows users to immerse themselves in a digital world where they learn about the significance of security in computer science, how to encode and decode data, and how to use a cipher wheel.
Today, encryption methods are crucial for cyber security professionals to protect vast amounts of personal and confidential data. As people increasingly rely on technology to communicate and transmit information over the internet, safeguarding private information is paramount. Mishandling private data can lead to severe consequences. Through this AR experience, students gain a better understanding of the importance of keeping private information secure.
The AR experience, titled "Into the Cipher Space," begins with a prompt on users' mobile devices, instructing them to prepare to protect a satellite from a cyber-attack. They will learn about the significance of security in computer science, the process of encoding and decoding data, and how to use a cipher wheel.
Upon scanning their surroundings with their mobile device, users will see a cipher wheel floating in front of them. The experience informs them that the satellite has been hacked and is now heading towards a collision with another satellite. Users are challenged to decipher encrypted messages using the cipher wheel to crack the codes. There are three phrases to unlock by using the cipher wheel. Each decoded word reveals a phrase along with its meaning.
Groove Jones included interactive elements to educate users about a cipher wheel, its function, and how it can protect a satellite from a cyber-attack. The experience concludes with users successfully regaining control of the satellite by decoding encrypted messages, emphasizing the importance of terms such as decipher, encode, and data.
