The Badge Archive

Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Ambassador Cybersecurity Investigator badge requirements.

Info Needed for the badge requirements: A cyber attack can severely disrupt a city’s operations. For example, a ransomware attack can lock access to data until a ransom is paid. Stoplights might fail, causing traffic chaos, and emergency services like police or firefighter communications could break down, delaying responses. Citizens might be unable to pay parking tickets or taxes online, and city courts would resort to slower paper processes for trials. Systems monitoring water safety could shut down, endangering public health. Cyber attacks on municipal governments are increasingly common, often causing widespread chaos due to their limited cybersecurity resources compared to private companies, which makes them more vulnerable to these disruptions.

Items Needed

• Briefing Card #1 from VTK Briefing Cards 1-5 by GSUSA (print and cut out ahead of time)
• 8 VTK Department Cards by GSUSA (print and cut out ahead of time)
• 7 VTK Damages Cards by GSUSA (print and cut out ahead of time)
• Coin

Instructions

1. The city has been hit by a ransomware attack, locking access to data and disrupting operations. At 7:48 a.m., the attack was discovered, and law enforcement is investigating the hacker responsible. Departments have been asked to assess the damages caused, considering how the attack impacts both citizens and employees. In five minutes, department heads will reconvene to present their damage reports and discuss the implications of this crisis.
2. Assign roles: Eight scouts will role-play as city government officials representing different departments. Scouts name their fictional city and elect a mayor. The remaining scouts divide themselves among seven departments: Police, Fire, Water and Sanitation, City Court, Education, Parks and Recreation, and Public Transportation.
   • Note: If there are fewer scouts, individuals can represent multiple departments. For larger groups, multiple scouts can represent one department and elect a department head.
3. Provide each department with its Department Card. Give the mayor Briefing Card #1 and have them read the card aloud during a meeting with all departments.
4. Damage Assessment: Mayor flips a coin to determine citywide damage:
   • Heads: All departments are affected.
   • Tails: Each department flips a coin. Heads means the department is affected, tails means it is safe. (Ensure at least two departments are affected.)
   • Give Damages Cards to affected departments.
5. Department Work: Affected departments spend five minutes evaluating the damages described on their cards. Scouts consider how the attack impacts citizens and employees, drafting a summary statement.
6. Each department presents its summary to the mayor and troop, detailing how the ransomware attack affects their operations.

Department Summaries

• Mayor: Leads the city, overseeing departments, budgets, and responding to emergencies.
• Police Department: Protects the public by patrolling neighborhoods, directing traffic, and investigating crimes.
• Fire Department: Responds to emergencies like fires, car crashes, chemical spills, and rescues.
• Water and Sanitation: Maintains safe water and sanitation systems, often using computerized tools.
• City Court System: Manages digital records for efficient information sharing and legal processes.
• Department of Education: Oversees public education, including student records, grades, and data security.
• Parks and Recreation: Maintains parks, ecological diversity, and recreational facilities like playgrounds, pools, and golf courses.
• Public Transportation System: Manages bus, rail, subway systems, and sometimes airports or seaports, ensuring safe travel for people and cargo.

Ransomware Damage Summaries

A ransomware attack can cause severe disruptions across city departments:

• Police Department: While 9-1-1 services are running, ransomware has locked computers, preventing officers and dispatchers from accessing records, maps, and patrol car locations.
• Fire Department: Trucks and radios are operational, but encrypted files have rendered dispatchers’ computers useless, disconnecting them from the network.
• Water and Sanitation: Malware has infected systems, raising concerns about untreated water mixing with fresh water. The department’s website is down, blocking online bill payments.
• City Court System: Records from the last 10 years are scrambled, making case dockets unreadable and preventing fee payments online.
• Department of Education: Student records are inaccessible, and schools without backups have lost contact information for students and teachers.
• Parks and Recreation: On the eve of a tournament, computers and the website are locked out, stopping citizens from signing up for events and threatening permanent data loss if the ransom isn’t paid.
• Public Transportation: Malware has blocked access to bus logs, halting real-time tracking and communication with drivers about schedules, construction, or delays.