Home Plan and prepare Scope and sequence (F–10) Years 9–10 Cybersecurity
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Select a topic across a two year cycle

Recommended any combination of three topics per year.
Choose a combination of units that suits your students and context.

JAN DEC

Cycle two (Year 10)

Cycle one (Year 9)

Jan Jun Dec

Cycle two (Year 10)

Jan Jun Dec

Cybersecurity

Overview

This unit considers how and why data is kept secure on the internet. Students refresh and build on their understanding of network hardware and internet protocols. They examine the Australian Privacy Principles and their implications for individuals and organisations, providing a rationale to explore how cyberthreats can be investigated, modelled and mitigated. Students also learn and practise specific techniques for encrypting and compressing data, allowing it to be transmitted more securely and efficiently.

By the end of Year 10 students explain how digital systems manage, control and secure access to data; and model cyber security threats and explore a vulnerability. Students apply privacy principles to manage digital footprints.

Content descriptions

Digital systems AC9TDI10K01

Data representation AC9TDI10K03

Privacy and security AC9TDI10P13, AC9TDI10P14

Related content and General Capabilities

Digital Literacy: Managing and operating: Protect content, Select and operate tools

Critical and Creative Thinking: Generating, Analysing

  • simulate networks and describe network protocols used to transmit and secure data on the internet
  • reference and describe selected Australian Privacy Principles and their implications
  • investigate and model cyberthreats and vulnerabilities that affect individuals and organisations
  • practise simple data encryption algorithms
  • describe and provide examples of data compression.

The three sequences in this unit are designed to be covered in order.

 

Watch this video for a quick overview of the unit and how to use its resources with your students.

Assessment

By the end of Year 10 students explain how digital systems manage, control and secure access to data; and model cyber security threats and explore a vulnerability. Students apply privacy principles to manage digital footprints.

Use this rubric to assess students’ knowledge and understanding of encryption and decryption, particularly through public and private-key cryptography, and the role they play in cybersecurity safeguarding sensitive information, ensuring secure communication, and protecting against unauthorized access or data breaches.

 

1 (limited) 2 (basic) 3 (proficient) 4 (advanced)
Encryption and decryption with guidance can describe encryption describes the purpose of encryption describes one method of encryption and explains the particular need(s) met by the encryption method suggests shortcomings of an encryption method
Public and private-key cryptography with guidance can describe public and private-key cryptography describes a situation in which public/private-key encryption is used describes the function of a public and a private key demonstrates an appreciation of the needs met by public/private-key encryption and demonstrates the detailed operation of public/private-key encryption

Unit sequence

This topic offers 3 sequential units

Unit 1

Keeping data moving

Students explore how devices are addressed across the internet and describe protocols used to ensure data integrity across a network.
Learn More

Keeping data moving

What is this about?

Internet hardware and software use various protocols and systems to ensure data is correctly delivered from one device to another across local networks and across the world. Students can explore the TCP/IP protocol, domain name system (DNS) and domain tables, and simulate networks to investigate how devices like routers direct packets of data to other devices.

Content description

Investigate how hardware and software manage, control and secure access to data in networked digital systems AC9TDI10K01

 

This sequence enables students to:

  • explore how devices are addressed across the internet
  • describe protocols used to ensure data integrity across a network (accurate transmission from one device to another)
  • simulate networks.

Resources to include

Resources to introduce

Resources to develop and consolidate learning

Resources to extend and integrate learning

Further reading and professional learning

Keeping data secure – why and how

What is this about?

The Australian Privacy Principles govern the way organisations can keep and use individuals' data, among other things. This means organisations of various scales are obliged to address potential and real cyberthreats. Students investigate the 13 principles, then explore how cybersecurity professionals model and mitigate cyberthreats.

Content description

Investigate how hardware and software manage, control and secure access to data in networked digital systems AC9TDI10K01

Develop cyber security threat models, and explore a software, user or software supply chain vulnerability AC9TDI10P13

Apply the Australian Privacy Principles to critique and manage the digital footprint that existing systems and student solutions collect AC9TDI10P14

This sequence enables students to:

  • reference and describe the 13 Australian Privacy Principles, and some of their important applications
  • describe common vulnerabilities affecting software and digital systems more generally
  • explore how cyberthreats are investigated and modelled
  • describe common ways of mitigating cyberthreats, such as access control.

Resources to include

Resources to introduce

Resources to develop and consolidate learning

Resources to extend and integrate learning

Further reading and professional learning

Encrypting and compressing data

What is this about?

Encryption techniques make data less readable – and thus less accessible – so that it can be transmitted more securely across a network and decrypted at its destination. Compression techniques exploit patterns in data so that it can be reduced in size for more efficient transmission, such as for streaming video with a lower bitrate. Students explore and try out different encryption and compression methods.

Content description

Investigate how hardware and software manage, control and secure access to data in networked digital systems AC9TDI10K01

Investigate simple data compression techniques AC9TDI10K03

This sequence enables students to:

  • explore and practise encryption algorithms that have been used to protect data
  • describe encryption techniques used to protect data on the internet, such as public key cryptography and hashing
  • describe how data such as images, sounds and video are compressed to make streaming media possible.

Resources to include

Resources to introduce

Resources to develop and consolidate learning

Close

Years 9–10 Text compression widget

Try this text compression widget to apply the concept of identifying patterns of repeated information.

Requires

  • internet access
  • computers, laptops or tablets

Suggested time

20 minutes

Enables students to:

  • practise compressing text by identifying repeated information.
Text compression widgetImage
Go to resource Close

Resources to extend and integrate learning

Further reading and professional learning