Hands-On Challenge

Req 8 — Cybersecurity Activities

Cybersecurity Activities. Do ONE of the following:

This requirement takes everything you have learned and puts it into action. Choose one of the three options — learning about a competition, participating in one, or giving a presentation.

Option A: Learn About a Competition or Activity

8a.

Learn about a cybersecurity competition, camp, or other activity you could participate in (either now or in the future). Share what you learned with your counselor, including the type of activity, time commitment, and age of participants.

The cybersecurity community runs competitions and activities specifically designed for young people. Here are some of the most well-known:

CyberPatriot — The premier youth cyber defense competition, run by the Air & Space Forces Association. Teams of students defend virtual computer networks against simulated attacks. The competition runs from October through March, with regional and national finals.

Ages: Middle school and high school students
Time commitment: Weekly practice sessions plus competition rounds (each round is about 6 hours)
Cost: Registration fee per team (varies, often covered by sponsors)

picoCTF — A free online Capture The Flag competition from Carnegie Mellon University. Participants solve cybersecurity challenges ranging from beginner to expert. “Capture The Flag” (CTF) competitions are the most popular format in cybersecurity — you solve puzzles that test hacking, cryptography, forensics, and web security skills.

Ages: Middle and high school students (anyone can practice year-round)
Time commitment: The competition runs for about two weeks; practice challenges are available anytime
Cost: Free

AFA CyberCamps — Week-long camps that teach cybersecurity fundamentals, often culminating in a mini-competition. Available in many states across the country.

National Cyber League (NCL) — A biannual CTF competition focused on building real-world cybersecurity skills. Has individual and team-based seasons.

CyberPatriot — National Youth Cyber Defense Competition The premier youth cyber defense competition. Learn about teams, seasons, and how to register. picoCTF — Free Cybersecurity Competition A free, beginner-friendly Capture The Flag competition from Carnegie Mellon University with year-round practice challenges.

Option B: Participate in a Competition

8b.

Participate in a cybersecurity competition with members of your troop, school, or some other group approved by your counselor. Either design your own competition or use an existing platform.

If you choose this option, you need to actually compete — either using an existing platform or creating your own challenge for your troop.

Using an existing platform:

picoCTF practice — set up a team challenge night with your patrol or troop, working through beginner challenges together
Cyber Threat Defender — a card game from UTSA that teaches cybersecurity concepts through gameplay
NCF Cybersecurity Gaming Series — online games that test cybersecurity knowledge

Designing your own:

Create a series of challenges for your troop meeting: password strength tests, phishing email identification, a cipher decoding race
Set up a scavenger hunt where teams find and fix security issues on practice systems
Run a “spot the phish” competition using real examples of phishing emails (with personal info redacted)

Option C: Give a Presentation

8c.

Give a presentation to your patrol, troop, or another group approved by your counselor, on a cybersecurity topic of your choice. Your presentation must include at least one demonstration and/or hands-on activity.

This option develops your communication skills alongside your technical knowledge. A good presentation teaches others what you have learned.

Topic ideas:

How to create strong passwords (demo: use a password strength checker to compare weak vs. strong passwords)
Recognizing phishing emails (demo: show real examples and have the audience identify red flags)
Setting up multi-factor authentication (demo: walk through the setup process live)
How encryption works (demo: encode and decode messages with a cipher)
Public Wi-Fi safety (demo: show how to verify HTTPS and use a VPN)

Presentation tips:

Presentation Checklist

Make your presentation effective and engaging

Keep it under 15 minutes: Your audience will lose focus after that.
Start with a hook: A surprising fact or real-world incident grabs attention immediately.
Include visuals: Screenshots, diagrams, or live demonstrations keep people engaged.
Make it hands-on: Give the audience something to do — solve a cipher, identify a phishing email, check their own password strength.
End with action items: Give three specific things the audience can do today to improve their security.

K-12 Cybersecurity Games — UTSA CIAS Free cybersecurity games and activities designed for K-12 students, perfect for troop presentations or competitions.

Four teenagers gathered around laptops in a CTF-style cybersecurity competition with a scoreboard in the background