What your child will learn
Identify and remediate common security risks in smart home devices including default passwords, location sharing, and auto-accept settings
Distinguish legitimate Wi-Fi networks from evil-twin rogue hotspots using captive portal inspection and official signage verification
Apply safe practices for sensitive tasks on public Wi-Fi including VPN use and mobile hotspot switching
Recognize what information is risky to say near always-listening smart speakers and apply mute habits
How this mission works
A 3-scene interactive lab targeting the device and network layer kids actually live in. Scene 1 puts students in a connected bedroom — audit 6 smart devices, find and fix 4 security risks. Scene 2 shows 4 available Wi-Fi networks at an airport — inspect each, pick the real one, then decide whether banking on public Wi-Fi is safe. Scene 3 plays a family conversation near a smart speaker — tag which snippets are risky to say aloud and which are fine.
What students actually encounter
The security camera still has its factory password: admin/1234. Fix it before you connect it.
4 networks named variations of "Airport Wi-Fi" — which one is real, and how do you tell?
"The alarm code is 4821 — I keep forgetting it." Is that safe to say near the speaker?
Cipher is with them the whole way
When a student gets stuck on Smart Device & Public Wi-Fi Defender, Cipher appears with a mission-specific nudge — no spoilers, just a hint toward the right thinking. Make a wrong choice, and Cipher explains the real-world consequence. Finish the mission, and Cipher generates a personalized performance debrief based on exactly how the student played it.
ISTE alignment
Students cultivate safe, legal, and ethical digital behaviors and apply systems-thinking to analyze how IoT devices and public networks create interconnected attack surfaces.