Our proposal seeks to establish a network of high school clubs across Canada dedicated to operating honeypots, to create to a nationwide sensornet to track potential cyber attacks in different regions of the country. With cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, it’s important to engage and educate the next generation in cybersecurity practices. Our initiative aims to empower high school students to actively participate in protecting Canada’s digital infrastructure while fostering their skills and interest in cybersecurity.
The cornerstone of our project is the development and distribution of an easy-to-install software package designed for high school environments. This package includes user-friendly training materials, comprising both written guides and instructional videos, to support teachers in creating extracurricular clubs or integrating cybersecurity activities into their classrooms. By providing accessible resources, we aim to democratize cybersecurity education and ensure widespread participation among Canadian high school students.
Participating schools will deploy honeypots as standalone sensors, completely separate from their schools network infrastructure. These honeypots will serve as decoy systems, enticing potential cyber threats and allowing students to monitor and analyze these actors behavior. Through hands-on experience with real-world cybersecurity scenarios, students will develop essential skills such as threat monitoring, log analysis, and understanding of cyber threat actor tactics.
Importantly, the cyber threat data (not the students activity) will be collected from these honeypots, centralized and anonymized, and then made available at no cost to law enforcement agencies free of charge. This collaboration reinforces the tangible impact of students’ efforts, emphasizing their role in generating actionable intelligence to safeguard Canada’s digital landscape. Moreover, by fostering collaboration between educational institutions and law enforcement, we strengthen the national cybersecurity ecosystem and promote a culture of proactive defense.
Allowing students to feel the tangible impacts of their work is core to our mission. By providing accessible tools, fostering hands-on learning experiences, and facilitating collaboration with law enforcement, we aim to empower the next generation of cybersecurity professionals while bolstering Canada’s resilience against evolving cyber threats.