*The summer 2022 camp in Great Falls, MT has already passed. Fill out the form on the right to stay up to date on future camps.*

The Montana CSI camps are designed to introduce Montana students (Jr High and High School) to the world of Cybersecurity.  People today understand that there are risks in the world.  We lock our doors, and we are aware of our surroundings.  We try to avoid dangerous behaviors, like drinking and driving, or going out in the snow without gloves and a hat, because we are aware of the risk.  But what happens when you don't know the risks?  What happens when you are engaged in dangerous behavior online and you don't even know it?

When you leave the house for the day, you check the doors are locked and the windows are closed.  Even when you are home, with your headphones on doing homework, or watching a movie, you want to know that you are safe.  But are you?  Could a cybercriminal or hacker be breaking into your network without your knowledge?  At least when a burglar breaks into your house, you can see them, and see the damage they cause.  But with Cyber-attacks, you may not even know they were there!

This is where we come in.  Let us explain to you how to protect yourself and your friends and family from 'cyber-criminals'.  These criminals don't differentiate between young and old or rich or poor.  They attack everyone.  And the only way to protect yourself is to be aware of the risks you take when you are online.  Every time you log onto a computer, at home or at school or at Starbucks or on your phone in the car, you are putting yourself at risk.  Are you sharing personal information?  Are you putting yourself, or your parents, at risk of identity theft or ransomware?  (What is Ransomware?)  Or are you doing the best you can to keep yourself and your digital identity safe?  It's just like putting on a seat belt!

Our week-long, 1/2 day camp will introduce you to both the Windows and the Linux environments.  We'll talk about how networks work, file management, and how to use a command line to get into a computer (exactly how criminals do it!).  We'll discuss cyber-hygiene and security techniques used by the top companies in the world.  And we'll even have a competition at the end to see how well you can use these skills to keep yourself safe! 

Join us for our Basic Camp during the week of June 13th, designed for Junior High and High School students.  Even if you have no knowledge about computers, it's a great way to learn new skills and techniques to protect yourself.   

If you enjoy the Basic Camp, you'll really love our Advanced Camp in July.  We take the knowledge you already learned in our basic camp and run with it.  Using the CISCO NetAcademy virtual machine, we will perform some penetration tests, just like a security expert looking for ways into your house.  If you find you have any interest in this extremely lucrative career, this could help prepare you for our Cybersecurity AA Degree program.   

Cyberpatriot curriculum: https://www.uscyberpatriot.org/