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Cybersecurity Home School: Garfield Teaches Security

The famous cartoon cat can help kids ages 6 to 11 learn to be more secure when they're online.

(image by elvis901, via Adobe Stock)

When children use tablets and smartphones before they head to kindergarten, it's really never too early to start teaching them about cybersecurity. The cybersecurity team at Synopsys suggests this week's Cybersecurity Home School project, which enlists the help of a lasagna-loving tabby to help youngsters begin to understand the basics of staying safe online.

The Center for Cyber Safety and Education, a nonprofit organization that focuses on cybersecurity, has developed Garfield's Cyber Safety Adventures at Home, a series of lessons including privacy, safe posting, and cyberbullying. The adventures are available in print, through an online subscription, or a bundle that includes both.

There is typically a charge for the material, ranging from $7.99 for a single comic-book lesson, to $9.99 for a one-year digital subscription, to $16.99 for a bundle that includes all available printed material and a 50% discount on the digital subscription. (Note: All prices are for the current "sale" prices now in effect.)

Now, though, the digital subscription is available at no cost to help children learn about cybersecurity while at home.

The lessons are colorful and game-oriented. They are available via browser, on iOS, and on Android.

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About the Author

Curtis Franklin, Principal Analyst, Omdia

Curtis Franklin Jr. is Principal Analyst at Omdia, focusing on enterprise security management. Previously, he was senior editor of Dark Reading, editor of Light Reading's Security Now, and executive editor, technology, at InformationWeek, where he was also executive producer of InformationWeek's online radio and podcast episodes

Curtis has been writing about technologies and products in computing and networking since the early 1980s. He has been on staff and contributed to technology-industry publications including BYTE, ComputerWorld, CEO, Enterprise Efficiency, ChannelWeb, Network Computing, InfoWorld, PCWorld, Dark Reading, and ITWorld.com on subjects ranging from mobile enterprise computing to enterprise security and wireless networking.

Curtis is the author of thousands of articles, the co-author of five books, and has been a frequent speaker at computer and networking industry conferences across North America and Europe. His most recent books, Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center, and Securing the Cloud: Security Strategies for the Ubiquitous Data Center, with co-author Brian Chee, are published by Taylor and Francis.

When he's not writing, Curtis is a painter, photographer, cook, and multi-instrumentalist musician. He is active in running, amateur radio (KG4GWA), the MakerFX maker space in Orlando, FL, and is a certified Florida Master Naturalist.

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