Digitalization has changed the way we live, learn and socialize. The younger generation is growing up in a digital world that presents both opportunities and risks. There is a great need to understand what online security actually means. To strengthen this knowledge, Omegapoint has entered into a partnership with Cybersecurity Academy (CSA) – an initiative that aims to strengthen young people’s understanding of cybersecurity and their own role in the digital environment.

Cybersecurity Academy is a collaborative project between Young Researchers, IBM and several technology companies, with support from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). Since its start in 2019, the project has reached over a million students in all 290 municipalities. Through lectures and exercises, students learn about risks and threats online, about the value of personal data and how to protect themselves. In a country where over 90 percent of children from the age of seven use the internet daily and where Sweden is one of the world's most digitalized nations – but only ranks 32nd in cybersecurity – the need for knowledge is great.

For Omegapoint, the collaboration represents a concrete opportunity to contribute to change. The initiative reflects both what we stand for and what we strive for. Our employees give guest lectures in schools across the country, both on site and digitally. By meeting students in classrooms, dialogues are created that make cybersecurity understandable, relevant and engaging. Having the opportunity to educate children and young people in cybersecurity is a way for us to, through our expertise, make a concrete difference and contribute to creating safer and more aware digital environments among young people. Margarita Sallinen is one of the employees at Omegapoint who has been to lecture and she describes the meeting with the students as enriching.

”Lecturing to children and young people about cybersecurity is one of the most rewarding things I know,” says Margarita. ”It’s so fun to see how quickly they become curious and ask intelligent, and sometimes funny and unexpected questions. Many also realize how close cybersecurity is to their everyday lives and how important it is to understand, since almost everything is connected today.”

Mikael Broström at Omegapoint, who is also one of the consultants who lectured, highlights the same enthusiasm among the students:

”"Cybersecurity is a topic that is not only important, but also captures the interest of young people due to their already large presence on the internet through social media and games. It was especially fun to see in our case that 8 and 9 year olds were so quick to pick up on what ciphers are and their ability to solve the tasks largely on their own."”

The students’ engagement shows that cybersecurity doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated; it can be made fun and easy to understand. For many children, the internet is a natural part of life, but far from everyone knows how to protect themselves. According to the CSA, only 47 percent of students between the ages of 11 and 13 say they actually know how to protect themselves from online abuse.

Through our collaboration with CSA, Omegapoint is helping to change that. We share our expertise and at the same time learn for ourselves how future users think, ask and reason about technology. We have the opportunity to give children and young people an insight into how cybersecurity affects their everyday lives and perhaps ignite the first spark for a future professional life in a field that needs more knowledgeable people.

”That's perhaps the most meaningful thing: seeing them become so curious that in the future they even want to work in the industry,” notes Margarita.

Our meetings with students are energizing and reminding us why cybersecurity is ultimately about people. By strengthening digital security among young people, we also strengthen society's ability to withstand future threats.