Study Finds Both Students and Teachers Lack Basic Cyber Security Education

New Study by National Cyber Security Alliance Reveals K-12 Teachers and
Students Not Prepared to Protect Against Cyber-Crime

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Less than 25 percent of
educators feel comfortable teaching students how to protect themselves from
online cyber predators, cyber bullies and identity theft, according to a
recent study by The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Educational
Technology, Policy Research and Outreach (ETPRO).

At a time when children ages 10-to-14 spend more time on the Internet than
watching television, the study found that only the Commonwealth of Virginia
has education curriculum requirements that include information on how students
can protect themselves online. Since completion of this study, several more
states including Georgia, Illinois and Tennessee, have passed legislation
requiring online safety education in the classroom. In addition, 90 percent of
educators have received less than six hours of professional development on
cyber security in the past year.

The 2008 National Cyberethics, Cybersafety, Cybersecurity Baseline Study was
conducted to explore educational awareness policies, initiatives, curriculum,
and practices currently taking place in the U.S. public and private K-12
educational settings. The survey was administered online. 1,569 public and
private U.S. K-12 educators and 94 technology coordinators took the survey and
local and state technology directors and 219 educators participated in focus
groups for the survey.

"Children are integrating technology into their lives at lightning speed. Our
schools need to find ways to introduce cyber security education as a fully
integrated part of the K-12 curriculum," said Michael Kaiser, executive
director of the NCSA. "We take the time to teach our children how to safely
cross the street. Given the amount of time children spend online, the
continuously emerging role of the technology in everyday life, and the risks
that young people face, we are obligated to ensure that every child learns
about safety, security and responsible use of the internet; yet we are not yet
to the point of teaching children how to 'look both ways' to avoid the
'accidents' that can occur online."

"Schools are not alone. Nonprofit groups, government, the private sector and
parents all play critical roles in ensuring children's safety online.
However, educators and school systems will need to make the issue a priority
if we can expect to see widespread adoption of cyber safety curricula in the
classroom."

As part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, all students are required to
be digitally literate by the 8th grade but half of the survey's respondents
said there were no clear methods chosen by their school or school district to
convey information on cyber safety and cyber security to students. Despite
feeling unprepared or uncomfortable discussing C3 topics with students, more
than 60 percent of educators are interested in learning more about C3 issues
in general and in many cases the percentage increased on specific topics such
as cyber safety, which was rated their highest priority.

"Policies need to be updated regularly and reviewed to ensure that teachers,
students and parents understand the basics of cyber security. We must ensure
our teachers are given the training necessary for them to inform their
students on these topics," said Davina Pruitt-Mentle, PhD, Executive Director
and Senior Research Analyst for ETPRO. "However, the burden cannot be placed
solely on our education system. From media to corporate America to our
federal, state and local governments, a variety of partnerships need to be
formed to protect our children."

For the full results of the study, visit http://www.staysafeonline.org.

About NCSA
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is a collaborative effort among
experts in the security, non-profit, academic and government fields to teach
consumers, small businesses and members of the education community about
Internet security. The NCSA aims to increase awareness about the risks
associated with using Internet technologies and how to help protect against
them, while also providing free tips, checklists and best practices for
remaining safe while online. For more information visit
http://www.staysafeonline.org.

SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance

Aimee Larsen-Kirkpatrick of the National Cyber Security Alliance,
+1-202-756-3616, aimee@staysafeonline.org, or Joshua Zecher of 463
Communications, +1-202-463-0013, ext. 206, josh.zecher@463.com