Fortinet releases new children’s book to increase cyber awareness among children

Fortinet announced continued commitment to educate students and underrepresented groups on cyber awareness and safety. In addition to Fortinet’s NSE 1 and NSE 2 training courses focused on fundamental cyber awareness providing an overview of threat actors and their tactics, Fortinet is releasing a children’s book designed to increase cyber awareness amongst children ranging from 7 to 12 years old. The book “Cyber Safe: A Dog’s Guide to Internet Security” was co-authored by Renee Tarun, Deputy CISO at Fortinet.  

John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO at Fortinet said, “Fortinet’s mission is to secure people, devices and data everywhere. As part of this mission the company is committed to educating the global community on cybersecurity knowledge and skillsets regardless of age, background or life experiences as cybersecurity affects everyone. Fortinet’s NSE 1 and NSE 2 training courses are available for free as part of the NSE Training Institute and can be taken by anyone of any age, including children.”

Renee Tarun, Deputy CISO and VP Information Security at Fortinet and Co-Author of “Cyber Safe” said, “With more children being online for prolonged periods of time as a result of remote learning, it’s especially important to educate our youth about internet safety. The “Cyber Safe” book was written to help protect kids by teaching them from an early age how to behave and to keep themselves safe online.”

• The release of this children’s book further builds on Fortinet’s NSE 1 and NSE 2 training courses’ focus on basic cyber awareness and an overview of threat actors and their tactics. These two courses – part of the eight-level NSE Certification Program – are free for anyone interested and is for all ages including young children.
• The children’s book takes readers on a journey to learn how the Internet is a useful place, and how to stay secure. Lacey, the cyber smart dog teaches her friend Gabbi the cat how to use the Internet safely.
• With a strong focus on seeding cybersecurity education at all levels, Fortinet will make copies of the book available to elementary and middle schools across the country to instill a strong foundation of cybersecurity at an early age as part of the NSE Training Institute’s initiatives to close the skills gap.

Instilling Foundational Cyber Awareness Knowledge from an Early Age

A year into the pandemic and many students are still learning virtually. With the onslaught of new devices on the home network linking students to teachers, threat actors have identified an open opportunity to execute ransomware attacks, target specific devices to steal information, and compromise public school districts’ security defenses. Young children are especially a vulnerable target for cybercriminals due to their little understanding of all the bad actor tactics and methods and the detrimental impact of falling victim to these actors.

With the influx of online activity, it’s crucial for both parents and children from an early age to know basic cybersecurity best practices as many continue in a hybrid capacity through the end of this school year and into the next. “Cyber Safe: A Dog’s Guide to Internet Security” provides an easy-to-understand introduction to possible dangers for children connecting online for school, video games, streaming shows, and more. For parents, the book includes a parent’s guide with details on what they should be aware of when their children are online.