How to Use the 'Catch the Hacker' Game to Teach about Social Engineering

📚 Using 'Catch the Hacker' to Teach Social Engineering

This lesson plan leverages the 'Catch the Hacker' game to educate students about social engineering techniques. It focuses on identifying manipulative tactics and developing critical thinking skills.

🎯 Objectives

• 🎯 Students will be able to define social engineering.
• 🕵️‍♀️ Students will be able to identify common social engineering tactics used in the 'Catch the Hacker' game.
• 🛡️ Students will be able to apply strategies to avoid falling victim to social engineering attacks.
• 🤔 Students will be able to critically analyze scenarios and identify potential social engineering attempts.

🧰 Materials

• 💻 Access to the 'Catch the Hacker' game (online or app).
• 📝 Handout with definitions of common social engineering tactics (Phishing, Pretexting, Baiting, Quid Pro Quo, Tailgating).
• 📃 Scenario cards depicting different social engineering situations.
• ✏️ Pens/pencils.

Warm-up (5 minutes)

• 🧊 Icebreaker: Ask students if they have ever received a suspicious email or phone call.
• 💬 Briefly discuss what made them suspicious.

Main Instruction (30 minutes)

1. Introduction to Social Engineering (10 minutes)
   • 📢 Define social engineering: The art of manipulating people into divulging confidential information.
   • 📊 Explain the different types of social engineering (Phishing, Pretexting, Baiting, Quid Pro Quo, Tailgating). Use the handout.
   • 🌐 Discuss the importance of being aware of social engineering in today's digital world.
2. Playing 'Catch the Hacker' (10 minutes)
   • 🎮 Have students play 'Catch the Hacker' for a set amount of time.
   • ✍️ Encourage them to take notes on the types of scams and manipulations they encounter in the game.
3. Discussion and Analysis (10 minutes)
   • 🗣️ Facilitate a class discussion about the social engineering tactics used in the game.
   • ❓ Ask questions such as: What clues helped you identify the hacker? What tactics did the hacker use to try to trick you? How could you have been more vulnerable to the hacker's tricks?
   • 🤝 Connect the game scenarios to real-world examples of social engineering.

🧪 Activity: Scenario Analysis (15 minutes)

• 🎭 Divide students into small groups.
• 📃 Give each group a scenario card depicting a social engineering situation.
• 🤔 Have the groups analyze the scenario and identify the social engineering tactics being used.
• 📢 Each group presents their analysis to the class.

✅ Assessment

• ✍️ Short quiz on social engineering definitions and tactics.
• 📝 Scenario-based questions where students must identify potential social engineering attempts.
• 🗣️ Class participation in discussions.

💡 Extension Activities

• 🔎 Research famous social engineering attacks.
• ✍️ Create a public service announcement about social engineering awareness.
• 🤝 Interview a security professional about their experiences with social engineering.