K-12 CURRICULUM · ISTE-ALIGNED · 36 MISSIONS + 3 CYBER LABS + COMPETITION ARENA

The K-12 Cybersecurity & AI Curriculum
Kids Actually Want to Do

36 ISTE-aligned missions covering passwords, phishing, privacy, AI deepfakes, IoT security, encryption, network security, AI bias, cloud safety, and more — for grades 3 through 12. Plus 3 advanced Cyber Labs and a live Competition Arena. Teacher dashboards, real-time progress reports, and classroom codes included. Trusted by pilots across 4 active districts.

36 ISTE-Aligned Missions
3 Advanced Cyber Labs
8–18 Age Range (Grades 3–12)
0 PII Collected from Students

All 36 missions, scope & sequence

Beginner missions build foundational literacy (grades 3–6). Intermediate missions add interactive labs and social engineering scenarios (grades 6–9). Advanced missions tackle AI threats, encryption, network security, cloud safety, and AI ethics (grades 8–12). Teachers assign specific missions to align with their pacing guide.

#1
📝 Quiz
🔐

Password Fortress

Password strength, dictionary attacks, and the danger of reuse — the foundation of account security.

👥 Ages 8–12 ⏱ ~15min
🏰 Earns: Password Guardian
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2b
Mission details →
#2
📝 Quiz
🎣

Phishing Pond

Identify fake urgency, spoofed senders, and deceptive links before clicking.

👥 Ages 8–12 ⏱ ~15min
🎣 Earns: Phish Spotter
Digital Citizen 2c Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#3
📝 Quiz
🔏

Privacy Shield

What counts as personal information, how apps collect data, and how to reduce your digital footprint.

👥 Ages 8–12 ⏱ ~15min
🔏 Earns: Privacy Protector
Digital Citizen 2b Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#4
📝 Quiz
🌐

Social Savvy

Digital permanence, stranger danger, and safe social media settings for kids.

👥 Ages 8–14 ⏱ ~15min
🌐 Earns: Social Defender
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2c
Mission details →
#5
📝 Quiz
🦠

Malware Maze

Viruses, ransomware, spyware, and trojans — how they spread and how to avoid them.

👥 Ages 10–14 ⏱ ~20min
🛡️ Earns: Malware Hunter
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2b
Mission details →
#6
🔬 Interactive Lab
🕵️

Phishing Inbox Detective

Live inbox with 8 real-looking emails. Hover to reveal true domains. Make Trust/Report calls.

👥 Ages 10–14 ⏱ ~25min
🕵️ Earns: Phish Detective
Digital Citizen 2c Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#7
🔬 Interactive Lab
🔐

Password Fortress Interactive

5 password challenges with a live entropy meter. Build passphrases, crack dictionary attacks, earn hints.

👥 Ages 10–14 ⏱ ~25min
🏰 Earns: Password Architect
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2b
Mission details →
#8
🔬 Interactive Lab
🔑

Two-Factor Fortress

3-scene lab: why passwords fail, setting up 2FA, and a dramatized SIM-swap attack.

👥 Ages 10–14 ⏱ ~25min
🛡️ Earns: 2FA Guardian
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2b
Mission details →
#9
🔬 Interactive Lab
📵

Scam Spotter

Navigate a robocall IVR and SMS scam texts based on real FTC-reported scripts. Branching decisions, real consequences.

👥 Ages 10–14 ⏱ ~25min
📵 Earns: Scam Buster
Digital Citizen 2c Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#10
🔬 Interactive Lab
📍

Privacy Guardian

Geotagged photo analysis, social profile privacy audit, and location-sharing risk quiz.

👥 Ages 10–14 ⏱ ~25min
🔏 Earns: Privacy Guardian
Digital Citizen 2b Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#11
🔬 Interactive Lab
🛡️

Cyberbullying Defender

Classify cyberbullying scenarios, practice bystander responses, walk through platform reporting.

👥 Ages 10–14 ⏱ ~25min
🛡️ Earns: Defender
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2c
Mission details →
#12
🔬 Interactive Lab
🤖

AI & Deepfake Detective

Spot AI-generated images by artifact analysis, classify voice clones, detect AI chatbot manipulation.

👥 Ages 12–18 ⏱ ~30min
🕵️ Earns: AI Sentinel
Digital Citizen 2c Digital Citizen 2d Knowledge Constructor 3b
Mission details →
#13
🔬 Interactive Lab
📡

Smart Device & Public Wi-Fi Defender

Audit 6 smart devices, spot rogue Wi-Fi networks at an airport, identify what's risky to say near a smart speaker.

👥 Ages 10–16 ⏱ ~30min
📡 Earns: Network Sentinel
Digital Citizen 2.2a Computational Thinker 2.5a
Mission details →
#14
🔬 Interactive Lab
🪪

Identity Theft & Digital Footprint Defender

Inspect a public social profile for identity theft vulnerabilities, classify real attacks, and complete 6 account-hardening actions.

👥 Ages 12–18 ⏱ ~30min
🪪 Earns: Identity Guardian
Digital Citizen 2.2b Digital Citizen 2.3a Knowledge Constructor 3.3a
Mission details →
#15
🔬 Interactive Lab
🎮

Gaming Safety Defender

Filter predator friend requests, reject in-game scam trades, and handle voice chat situations with strangers.

👥 Ages 8–16 ⏱ ~30min
🎮 Earns: Game Guardian
Digital Citizen 2.2a Digital Citizen 2.3a Digital Citizen 2.4a
Mission details →
#16
🔬 Interactive Lab
🤖

Deepfake & AI Scam Defender

Classify AI voice clone calls, spot deepfake videos by technical artifact analysis, flag AI companion bot escalation.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~30min
🤖 Earns: AI Scam Sentinel
Digital Citizen 1.2.d Knowledge Constructor 1.3.b
Mission details →
#17
🔬 Interactive Lab
📡

Smart Device & IoT Defender

Change default IoT passwords on 6 devices, audit smart speaker permissions by least-privilege, triage connected toy risk profiles.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~30min
📡 Earns: IoT Guardian
Digital Citizen 1.2.d Computational Thinker 2.5a
Mission details →
#18
🔬 Interactive Lab
🔍

Synthetic Media Detective

Classify 6 video clips as synthetic/real/unverified, identify 5 AI voice clones vs real voices, verify 6 screenshots for fabrication.

👥 Ages 12–18 ⏱ ~35min
🔍 Earns: Media Truth Seeker
Digital Citizen 1.2.d Knowledge Constructor 1.3.b
Mission details →
#19
🔬 Interactive Lab
🤖

Mind Games: AI Tricksters

AI-powered manipulation tactics: chatbots building fake emotional relationships, AI-generated urgency scams, deepfake voice calls from "grandparents," AI writing fake reviews, and recognizing when an online "friend" might be automated.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~25min
🤖 Earns: AI Trickster Buster
Digital Citizen 1.2.d Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#20
🔬 Interactive Lab
💜

Bully Block

Identify cyberbullying patterns across 5 scenarios, apply platform reporting tools, support a targeted classmate without becoming a bystander, and understand the difference between conflict and harassment.

👥 Ages 8–14 ⏱ ~25min
💜 Earns: Bully Blocker
Digital Citizen 2b Digital Citizen 2.4a
Mission details →
#21
🔬 Interactive Lab
🔍

Deepfake Detective

Classify 5 video clips as real or AI-generated, spot facial artifacts and unnatural blinking, verify a viral image with reverse image search, and identify the three questions to ask before sharing any shocking media.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~25min
🔍 Earns: Deepfake Detector
Digital Citizen 1.2.d Knowledge Constructor 3b
Mission details →
#22
🔬 Interactive Lab
🔑

Password Power-Up

Upgrade 5 weak passwords to passphrases that crack-resist for centuries, set up a password manager with a master passphrase, audit saved passwords for reuse, and run a breach-check to find exposed credentials.

👥 Ages 8–14 ⏱ ~20min
🔑 Earns: Password Champion
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2b
Mission details →
#23
🔬 Interactive Lab
📱

Smishing Sentinel

Spot 5 fake SMS messages: a fake bank alert with a phishing link, a package-delivery smish, a prize-winner scam, a fake school emergency, and a multi-step smish that escalates to a voice call. Flag every red flag before clicking.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~20min
📱 Earns: Smishing Sentinel
Digital Citizen 2c Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#24
🔬 Interactive Lab
🎮

Gaming Account Guardian

Discord Nitro DM scams, fake Roblox moderators asking for passwords, V-bucks generator URL spoofing, online identity verification, and hands-on 2FA setup with an authenticator app.

👥 Ages 8–14 ⏱ ~20min
🎮 Earns: Gaming Guardian
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2b Digital Citizen 2c
Mission details →
#25
🔬 Interactive Lab
🛡️

Two-Factor Titan

Watch a credential-stuffing attack fail against 2FA, compare SMS vs TOTP vs passkey security, configure a fake authenticator app by scanning a QR code, survive an MFA fatigue push-bombing attack at 3am, and secure recovery codes for account recovery.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~20min
🛡️ Earns: Two-Factor Titan
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2b
Mission details →
#26
🔬 Interactive Lab
🧠

Social Engineering Sentinel

Pretext IT calls, impersonation attacks, tailgating at school entrances, authority manipulation targeting kids, and a Boss Battle multi-vector con artist combining three techniques at once. The human attack surface — where most real breaches start.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~25min
🧠 Earns: Social Engineering Sentinel
Digital Citizen 2b Digital Citizen 2c Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#27
🔬 Interactive Lab
🌐

Network Security Ninja

Trace a port-scanning probe from inside the building, block suspicious connections on a home router, read a firewall log to find the intrusion-blocking rule, map an office attack surface by counting open ports, and lock down an open Wi-Fi access point.

👥 Ages 12–18 ⏱ ~25min
🌐 Earns: Network Security Ninja
Computational Thinker 2.5a Digital Citizen 2c
Mission details →
#28
🔬 Interactive Lab
🔒

Encryption Essentials

Manually decode a Caesar cipher, compare symmetric AES keys to public/private key pairs, spot whether a website is using HTTPS, pick the most secure messaging app for a private conversation, and see data intercepted over unencrypted HTTP on a coffee shop Wi-Fi.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~25min
🔒 Earns: Encryption Expert
Digital Citizen 2b Digital Citizen 2c Computational Thinker 2.5a
Mission details →
#29
🔬 Interactive Lab
⚖️

AI Bias & Fairness

Spot bias in a hiring AI's training data, trace why facial recognition misidentifies darker-skinned faces at 34x the error rate, flag a proxy variable smuggling racial bias into a college admissions tool, and redesign a loan-approval training pipeline to reduce disparate impact.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~30min
⚖️ Earns: AI Fairness Champion
Digital Citizen 2b Knowledge Constructor 3b Digital Citizen 1.2.d
Mission details →
#30
🔬 Interactive Lab
🤖

Prompt Engineering Safety

Spot a prompt injection hidden in an email hijacking an AI assistant, identify a jailbreak using roleplay framing, flag PII accidentally shared with a commercial AI, choose the right homework AI-disclosure, and fact-check an AI-generated essay.

👥 Ages 12–18 ⏱ ~25min
🤖 Earns: Prompt Safety Guardian
Digital Citizen 1.2.d Digital Citizen 2b Knowledge Constructor 1.3.b
Mission details →
#31
🔬 Interactive Lab
☁️

Cloud Security Guardian

Lock down a Google Drive folder accidentally set to "anyone can edit," review an OAuth request for over-permissive scopes, trace a data leak to a forwarded share link, evaluate a free overseas cloud service for school records, and secure a shared cloud account with 2FA.

👥 Ages 10–18 ⏱ ~25min
☁️ Earns: Cloud Security Guardian
Digital Citizen 2b Digital Citizen 2c Digital Citizen 2a
Mission details →
#32
📝 Quiz
👣

My Digital Footprint

What happens when you post something online? Join Pixel the Robot to learn about digital permanence, the difference between public and private information, and how to think before you post. Simple, animation-friendly scenarios for the youngest learners.

👥 Ages 5–8 ⏱ ~10min
👣 Earns: Digital Footprint Friend
Digital Citizen 2b
Mission details →
#33
📝 Quiz
🔑

Safe Passwords for Kids

Help Kali the Cyber Cat build super-strong passwords using the Picture Password Trick. Three challenges covering what makes a password strong, why you never share your password, and how to remember it using silly picture-words.

👥 Ages 5–8 ⏱ ~10min
🔑 Earns: Password Superhero
Digital Citizen 2b
Mission details →
#34
📝 Quiz
🙋

Ask a Grown-Up First

Zoom the Cyber Puppy needs help navigating pop-ups, downloads, and messages from strangers. Three decision-tree scenarios teach young students when to stop, ask a trusted adult, and why that is always the right move.

👥 Ages 5–8 ⏱ ~10min
🙋 Earns: Smart Asker
Digital Citizen 2a Digital Citizen 2c
Mission details →
#35
🔬 Interactive Lab
🔍

The App Permission Detective

Every app asks for permissions — camera, microphone, location, contacts. Put on your detective hat and evaluate four real permission requests: a flashlight app that wants contacts, a map needing location, a game asking for your mic, and a calculator requesting camera access. Which are legit?

👥 Ages 8–11 ⏱ ~20min
🔍 Earns: Permission Detective
Digital Citizen 2b Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →
#36
🔬 Interactive Lab
📰

Fact or Fake: News Detective

Spot clickbait headlines, evaluate source credibility, apply lateral reading (checking multiple sources), and decide whether to share a story before verifying it. Four investigations that build lifelong media literacy skills for elementary students.

👥 Ages 8–11 ⏱ ~20min
📰 Earns: News Detective
Digital Citizen 2c Digital Citizen 2d
Mission details →

Go beyond lessons. Build real skills.

After completing missions, students unlock Cyber Labs — 40–50 minute deep-dive exercises where they work with real systems, not toy scenarios. This is the advanced tier.

🔬

Phishing Forensics Lab

Analyze real email headers, trace the sending server, and build a filter rule that would have blocked the attack. 5 escalating cases.

⭐⭐⭐ Advanced ⏱ ~40 min 🏆 350 XP
Learn more →
🛡️

Network Defense Lab

Configure a firewall, triage live alert logs, and block an AI-assisted intrusion in real time. The attacker adapts — static rules aren't enough.

⭐⭐⭐ Advanced ⏱ ~45 min 🏆 400 XP
Learn more →
🤖

AI Safety Lab

Craft prompt injection attacks against a sandboxed AI model, run deepfake detection classifiers, and work through 3 AI ethics scenarios. For grades 10–12.

⭐⭐⭐ Advanced ⏱ ~50 min 🏆 450 XP
Learn more →
View the full Cyber Labs Hub →

School vs. School. Live & Async.

The Arena adds competitive pressure to cybersecurity training. Schools compete on mission completions, lab scores, and daily challenge streaks — in real-time brackets or async season formats. District admins see all schools compete in a single rollup view.

🏆
Live bracket competitions
Real-time school-vs-school matchups
📅
Async seasonal format
Compete on your own schedule
📊
District leaderboard
All schools in one view for admins
Join the Arena with a pilot →

ISTE Standards coverage — mission by mission

Every mission maps to one or more ISTE Standards for Students. Curriculum directors can use this table to verify alignment with district technology and digital citizenship requirements. Full alignment documentation with state-specific framework mappings available on request.

ISTE Standard Strand Missions That Address It
2a — Digital Citizen
Cultivate and manage digital identity and reputation.
Digital Identity & Rights Password Fortress Social Savvy Password Fortress Interactive Two-Factor Fortress Gaming Account Guardian
2b — Digital Citizen
Engage in safe, legal, and ethical behavior in digital environments.
Safe & Ethical Behavior Phishing Pond Privacy Shield Social Savvy Privacy Guardian Cyberbullying Defender Gaming Account Guardian Social Engineering Sentinel
2c — Digital Citizen
Manage personal data and digital footprint with security awareness.
Digital Security Password Fortress Malware Maze Phishing Inbox Detective Cyberbullying Defender AI & Deepfake Detective Gaming Account Guardian Social Engineering Sentinel
2d — Digital Citizen
Manage personal data; evaluate authenticity of digital information.
Critical Evaluation Phishing Pond Privacy Shield Phishing Inbox Detective Scam Spotter Privacy Guardian AI & Deepfake Detective Social Engineering Sentinel
1.2.d — Digital Citizen
Understand how AI-generated content can deceive and how to evaluate it.
AI & Synthetic Media Literacy Deepfake & AI Scam Defender Smart Device & IoT Defender Synthetic Media Detective
2.2a — Digital Citizen
Safe, legal, and ethical behaviors with connected devices.
IoT & Connected Device Safety Smart Device & Public Wi-Fi Defender Gaming Safety Defender Smart Device & IoT Defender
2.2b & 2.3a — Digital Citizen
Manage personal data to maintain digital privacy and prevent identity theft.
Identity & Privacy Management Identity Theft & Digital Footprint Defender
2.4a — Digital Citizen
Demonstrate empowered learning by recognizing manipulation in digital spaces.
Empowered Online Behavior Gaming Safety Defender
3b — Knowledge Constructor
Evaluate the accuracy, perspective, and relevance of digital information.
Evaluating Digital Information AI & Deepfake Detective
1.3.b — Knowledge Constructor
Curate information from digital sources including AI-generated content.
Curating AI-Generated Content Deepfake & AI Scam Defender Synthetic Media Detective
2.5a — Computational Thinker
Apply systems-thinking to analyze how devices create interconnected attack surfaces.
Systems Thinking & Security Smart Device & Public Wi-Fi Defender Smart Device & IoT Defender
3.3a — Knowledge Constructor
Curate personal data with an understanding of digital permanence.
Digital Permanence & Curation Identity Theft & Digital Footprint Defender

ISTE Standards for Students 2016/2023 framework. See full standards alignment — ISTE, CSTA, GenCyber, NICE, and 10 state mandates →

What teachers get

The teacher portal is live today — no waitlist. Explore it with sample data at /teachers/demo before your pilot starts.

🏫

Classroom Codes

Generate a unique CYBER-XXXX join code per class. Students join from any browser — no app install, no email required, no IT ticket.

📋

Roster Management

See every student's username, level, XP, badges earned, and current mission status. Add or remove students without disrupting their progress.

📊

Per-Mission Completion %

Per-mission completion bars for the whole class. Most-missed questions surface where the class is struggling — pinpoint the concept before the next lesson.

Live Activity Feed

Real-time stream of every mission start and completion across your classrooms. See who just earned a badge without refreshing.

📥

CSV Export

One-click CSV export of the full roster with XP, level, mission completions, and badges — paste directly into your gradebook or district reporting tool.

🏆

Shareable Certificates

Students earn a shareable completion certificate per mission. Teachers can reference certificates as evidence of learning objectives met.

📊 3A Cyber Squad — Teacher Dashboard 📥 Export CSV
24Students
87%Avg Completion
312Badges Earned
🔐 Password Fortress
92%
🎣 Phishing Pond
79%
🕵️ Phishing Inbox Detective
64%
🤖 AI Deepfake Detective
41%
⚠ Most missed: "What makes a Wi-Fi network trustworthy?" (Mission #13)

What families get

The Family plan unlocks all 18 missions for home use. Parents get weekly progress digests and shareable certificates — no screen time fights about whether kids are "actually learning."

📬

Weekly Parent Digest

A weekly summary of your child's XP earned, missions completed, and badges collected — delivered to the parent email. No login required to stay in the loop.

🏆 Weekly Update for CyberFox42
XP this week: +250 XP
Mission completed: Phishing Inbox Detective
Badge earned: 🕵️ Phish Detective
Current level: Level 4 · 680 XP
🏅

Hero & Badge Progress

Kids create a hero identity — username, emoji avatar, no real name required. XP and badges accumulate across all 18 missions. Levels 1–10 to chase.

🦊
CyberFox42
Level 4 · 680 / 800 XP
🏰 🎣 🔏 🌐 🛡️ 🕵️
🎓

Shareable Certificates

Every completed mission generates a personalized certificate with the student's hero name, mission title, and date. Share to a class presentation, print for a portfolio, or post to a digital badge wallet.

Certificate of Completion
CyberFox42 successfully completed
🕵️ Phishing Inbox Detective
Cyber Heroes HQ · May 2026

Simple pricing. Free pilot to start.

Pilot districts pay nothing. After the pilot, district pricing scales down with volume.

Family Plan
$12/mo
or $96/year — save 33%
  • ✓ All 18 missions unlocked
  • ✓ Hero identity + badge collection
  • ✓ Weekly parent digest emails
  • ✓ Shareable mission certificates
  • ✓ Works on any browser
Start Family Plan

Ready to run a pilot?

Fill in your district info and we'll be in touch within 1 business day to schedule a walkthrough and set up your first classroom.

Request a Free Pilot →

In active pilots with 4 districts

We're currently running pilot programs across 4 districts. Pilot participants get early access to new missions, direct input on the roadmap, and discounted post-pilot licensing.

"

Testimonials from pilot teachers coming as pilots mature — expected Q3 2026. Reach out directly to our pilot contacts at pilots@cyberheroeshq.com.

4
Districts in active pilots
18
Missions available now
0
Student PII collected
10min
Classroom setup time
📋 Aligned to your state standards

Your state mandate — already covered.

8+ states added K-12 cybersecurity mandates in 2023–24. We've pre-built alignment documents for 10 mandate states — specific framework codes mapped to each mission.

🌴 Florida → 🗽 New York → 🏙️ Illinois → Texas → 🌊 California → 🔔 Pennsylvania → 🔴 Ohio → 🍑 Georgia → 🌲 North Carolina → 🏔️ Michigan →
View Full Standards Alignment Hub →

Ready to add cybersecurity to your curriculum?

Request a pilot — free for the 2025–2026 school year. We'll have your first classroom running within 10 minutes of your first teacher account.

📬 Response within 1 business day 🔒 No credit card. No commitment. 📋 Full ISTE alignment docs available