Education

The goal of ISC2 Education’s cybersecurity awareness initiatives is to make the cyber world a safer place for everyone. Through the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, ISC2 provides educational programs, scholarships, and research aimed at ensuring people of all ages have a positive and safe experience online.

Key objectives include:

  • Teaching Internet Best Practices: ISC2 collaborates with leading cybersecurity experts to deliver the "Safe and Secure Online" (SSO) program, which educates children, teachers, librarians, and media specialists about safe online behaviors.

  • Empowering Educators: The program offers resources and tools—such as the Educator’s Kit featuring Garfield and Friends—to help educators teach cyber safety in classrooms, libraries, and learning labs.

  • Addressing Real Risks: ISC2’s research highlights alarming trends in children’s internet usage, such as exposure to adult content, late-night online activity, and interactions with strangers. The awareness program is designed to address these risks directly through engaging lessons and activities.

  • Promoting Safe Online Habits: Lessons cover critical topics like privacy, safe posting, cyberbullying, viruses, image control/sexting, and safe downloading, using relatable stories and characters to make learning memorable

Check out ISC2 Alberta’s LinkedIn and ISC2 Alberta YouTube to stay updated with ISC2 Alberta Professional Development and Education News Postings

Safe and Secure Online (SSO) and Cybersecurity for Small-to-Medium Businesses (SMBs)

Hyma Pandyaram, CISSP

Small businesses are frequent targets of cyberattacks, but protecting your business doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Join Hyma Pandyaram, President of ISC2 Alberta Chapter, to learn five simple, affordable steps to boost your cyber resilience—including ransomware readiness and backup hygiene. You will also discover volunteer opportunities to give back and help build a safer digital Alberta.

A Framework for Defeating Cybercriminals and Malware

Roger Grimes, CPA, CISSP, CISM, CISA

Malicious hackers and their malware creations are rampant on the Internet. Ransomware is taking down companies, hospitals, and even entire cities at will. Hundreds of millions of dollars are stolen, and millions of people's accounts are stolen every day. A large portion of the Internet is just hacker traffic, phishing, and their malware programs. However, most people are unaware that we can significantly reduce Internet crime, making it nearly impossible for hackers and their malware creations to be successful. There is a way to make a far safer Internet for you, your children, your grandchildren, and your grandparents. We have most of the needed technology, we just need to make it more pervasive.

Operational Technology (OT) Security 101

Ian Verhappen, P.Eng.

Microprocessor based systems are everywhere, including in industrial processes and the associated Operating Technology (OT) environment. Much of the core technologies used in the OT environment are the same as used in the consumer / business (IT) environment and as a result a common assumption is that the same tools and protection methods are also transferrable. Unfortunately, this is not the case as each environment has different requirements and demands. This presentation will summarize some of the main differences in approach, alternate ways to address these differences, plus several international standards development and related industry recognized approaches to implement best practices to protect OT systems and associated critical infrastructure.

Securing the North Through Indigenous Partnership

Mehrdad Safaei, Eng., MPP, Ph.D. Candidate

The race for Arctic dominance intensifies as nations compete for untapped resources, strategic positioning, and technological advancement in the far North, new "cold colonialism". This presentation examines why the Arctic and subarctic regions are vital for future sovereignty and development, assesses the current state of digital infrastructure and cybersecurity capabilities, and demonstrates why Indigenous perspectives are essential for success. We conclude that meaningful collaboration with Indigenous communities is not only inevitable but fundamental to building resilient and sustainable cybersecurity frameworks in these critical regions.

Bridging IT and OT: Security Considerations for Critical Infrastructure

Ian Butterworth, P.Eng

Operational Technology (OT) systems are the backbone of modern infrastructure, ensuring the safe and reliable operation of essential services such as water treatment, energy distribution, transportation, and healthcare. These interconnected systems play a critical role in our daily lives, from providing clean water and powering our homes to enabling life-saving medical equipment. This presentation explores the evolution of OT technology, highlighting how increased connectivity between OT systems, enterprise networks, and the cloud have enhanced efficiency but also introduced new security risks. As these systems become more integrated, they also become more vulnerable to cyber threats that can disrupt critical operations. We will examine real-world examples of OT systems across industries, how they function, and introduce the growing challenges in securing them against potential attacks