The Badge Archive

• Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Junior Cybersecurity Investigator badge requirements.
• Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Cadette Cybersecurity Basics badge requirements.

Info Needed for badge requirements: Ciphers are essential tools for maintaining the security of information. They work by transforming data into a code, making it unreadable to anyone who does not have the correct key. A cipher key, such as “shift by three,” provides the rule needed to decode the encrypted message, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access the original information. Computers use a similar process called encryption to protect sensitive details, such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and payment information, especially when making purchases or communicating online. Encryption ensures that private information remains safe and accessible only to the intended recipients.

Items Needed

• Pre-cut VTK Encrypted Quotes from GSUSA (one strip per pair of scouts)
• VTK Caesar Cipher from GSUSA (one per scout)
• 1 brass brad (paper fastener) (one per scout)
• Scissors for scouts to share
• Blank sheet of paper (one per scout)
• Pen or pencil (one per scout)

Instructions

1. Pair scouts together and give each pair an encrypted quote. Scouts try to decrypt the message by looking for patterns without any clues. Solutions will be provided later.
2. Give each scout a Caesar Cipher handout and scissors.
3. Scouts cut out the circles, align the dots in the middle, and attach them with a brass brad to make the Caesar cipher wheel.
4. Teach scouts how to use their encryption key:
   • Align the “A”s on both circles.
   • Turn the top wheel so the “A” aligns with “B” on the bottom wheel (this is a shift of 1).
   • Use the wheel to decode messages. Example: With a shift of 1, HELLO becomes IFMMP.
5. Scouts use the Caesar cipher with a shift of 5 (A=F) to decode their encrypted quote from earlier. Share the solutions so everyone understands how the code works.
6. (Optional) Explain the history of secret messages, including the Caesar cipher used by Julius Caesar to communicate with generals. Highlight how encryption is used today in texts and emails to keep information safe by turning it into unreadable code.
   • “People have been creating secret messages for thousands of years to share important information safely. One of the oldest examples of a code is called the Caesar cipher. It was named after Julius Caesar, a Roman leader who lived over 2,000 years ago. He used this cipher to send secret messages to his generals during wars. The Caesar cipher works by shifting each letter in the alphabet by a certain number of spaces. For example, if the shift is 1, the letter A becomes B, B becomes C, and so on. This way, only someone who knows the secret shift can read the message. Today, we use encryption, which is like a modern, super-secure version of codes, to protect things like emails and passwords.”