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Standard:
Compare and contrast security measures to address various security threats.

Descriptive Statement:
Network security depends on a combination of hardware, software, and practices that control access to data and systems. The needs of users and the sensitivity of data determine the level of security implemented. Potential security problems, such as denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, viruses, worms, spyware, and phishing, present threats to sensitive data. Students compare and contrast different types of security measures based on factors such as efficiency, feasibility, ethical impacts, usability, and security. At this level, students are not expected to develop or implement the security measures that they discuss. For example, students could review case studies or current events in which governments or organizations experienced data leaks or data loss as a result of these types of attacks. Students could provide an analysis of actual security measures taken comparing to other security measure which may have led to different outcomes. Alternatively, students might discuss computer security policies in place at the local level that present a tradeoff between usability and security, such as a web filter that prevents access to many educational sites but keeps the campus network safe.

Standard:
Compare and contrast cryptographic techniques to model the secure transmission of information.

Descriptive Statement:
Cryptography is a technique for transforming information on a computer in such a way that it becomes unreadable by anyone except authorized parties. Cryptography is useful for supporting secure communication of data across networks. Examples of cryptographic methods include hashing, symmetric encryption/decryption (private key), and assymmetric encryption/decryption (public key/private key). Students use software to encode and decode messages using cryptographic methods. Students compare the costs and benefits of using various cryptographic methods. At this level, students are not expected to perform the mathematical calculations associated with encryption and decryption. For example, students could compare and contrast multiple examples of symmetric cryptographic techiques. Alternatively, students could compare and contrast symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic techniques in which they apply for a given scenario.

Standard:
Select and use data collection tools and techniques to generate data sets.

Descriptive Statement:
Data collection and organization is essential for obtaining new information insights and revealing new knowledge in our modern world. As computers are able to process larger sets of data, gathering data in an efficient and reliable matter remains important. The choice of data collection tools and quality of the data collected influences how new information, insights, and knowledge will support claims and be communicated. Students devise a reliable method to gather information, use software to extract digital data from data sets, and clean and organize the data in ways that support summaries of information obtained from the data. At this level, students may, but are not required to, create their own data collection tools. For example, students could create a computational artifact that records information from a sonic distance sensor to monitor the motion of a prototype vehicle. Alternatively, students could develop a reliable and practical way to automatically digitally record the number of animals entering a portion of a field to graze. Additionally, students could also find a web site containing data (e.g., race results for a major marathon), scrape the data from the web site using data collection tools, and format the data so it can be analyzed.

Standard:
Use data analysis tools and techniques to identify patterns in data representing complex systems.

Descriptive Statement:
Data analysis tools can be useful for identifying patterns in large amounts of data in many different fields. Computers can help with the processing of extremely large sets of data making very complex systems manageable. Students use computational tools to analyze, summarize, and visualize a large set of data. For example, students could analyze a data set containing marathon times and determine how age, gender, weather, and course features correlate with running times. Alternatively, students could analyze a data set of social media interactions to identify the most influential users and visualize the intersections between different social groups.

Standard:
Develop solutions to security threats.

Descriptive Statement:
Designing and implementing cybersecurity measures requires knowledge of software, hardware, and human components and understanding tradeoffs. Students design solutions to security threats and compare tradeoffs of easier access and use against the costs of losing information and disrupting services. For example, students could refine a technology that allows users to use blank or weak passwords. Alternatively, students could implement a firewall or proxy protection between an organization's private local area network (LAN) and the public Internet. Additionally, students could find and close exploitable threats on an infected computer in order to protect information.

Standard:
Analyze cryptographic techniques to model the secure transmission of information.

Descriptive Statement:
Cryptography is essential to many models of cybersecurity. Open standards help to ensure cryptographic security. Certificate Authorities (CAs) issue digital certificates that validate the ownership of encrypted keys used in secured communications across the Internet. Students encode and decode messages using encryption and decryption methods, and they should understand the different levels of complexity to hide or secure information. For example, students could analyze the relative designs of private key vs. public key encryption techniques and apply the best choice for a particular scenario. Alternatively, students could analyze the design of the Diffie-Helman algorithm to RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman) and apply the best choice for a particular scenario. They could provide a cost-benefit analysis of runtime and ease of cracking for various encryption techniques which are commonly used to secure transmission of data over the Internet.