The Cyber Security Escape Room was designed as a classroom career guidance activity and an alternative or complement to a career talk on cybersecurity. It is a challenge-based exercise with an interactive nature that demonstrates the skills needed in cybersecurity and the risks it poses to a business. This is based on a tabletop exercise, where Industry leaders do a walk-through of a cyber-attack for their company to identify their own strengths and weaknesses. The Escape Room comprises of six departments IT, HR, PR, Finance, Operations, CEO. This discussion-based exercise can highlight for companies how prepared they are if an attack does occur and helps different departments understand their priorities. A key aim is to convey that cybersecurity affects everyone in a company, and not just the IT and leadership teams.

The exercise aims to encourage an interest in students who may go on to study the subject and an awareness of the importance of cybersecurity for those who do not. We follow the Escape Room with a Tabletop exercise, taking a mini-company within the class, and playing out a cyber-attack scenario. The Escape Room follows a similar thought process, and it is gamified to introduce cybersecurity concepts through a fun challenge that can be completed in a classroom, and under time pressure.

During the past few months the Escape room has been to 10 secondary schools and has reached over 800 students.

We are seeking Industry volunteers to deliver the exercise in schools, and to cross-promote the other Education initiatives such as the Junior Cycle Short Course, the Schools Capture-the-Flag, and the Summer Cyber Security Academy. For more information, please contact Cliodhna.Sargent@mtu.ie.