AFA CyberCamp Overview

Looking to promote or get involved with AFA CyberCamps? Check out the engagement guide​​!

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AFA CyberCamps keep students improving their cybersecurity skills through the summer!

​GENERAL OVERVIEW

AFA CyberCamps are designed for high school and middle school students who are just getting into cybersecurity or who have cybersecurity knowledge and want to learn more. Camps are hosted by approved organizations and institutions that register with the CyberPatriot Program Office. These organizations include, but are not limited to, schools, universities, CAP squadrons, companies in industry, boys and girls clubs, AFA Chapters, etc.

Organizations interested in hosting a camp purchase a curriculum kit from CyberPatriot consisting of instructor guides, student workbooks, PowerPoint modules, and demonstration software that students follow along with. It is the responsibility of the host organization to facilitate the logistics of the camp (camp facility, instructors, participant registration, hardware, etc.).

All camps are packaged as 5-day, 20-hour sessions (20 hours of material taught over five days) and must be conducted Monday through Friday during one of the available camp weeks. A host organization can host camps at multiple locations during the same week, but if they wish to host an additional camp during another week, they must pay for the curriculum again. Available weeks include:

​Week 1​June 2 - 6
​Week 2​June 9 – 13 
​Week 3*​June 16 – 20 
​Week 4​June 23 – 27 ​
​Week 5July 7 – 11 ​
​Week 6​July 14 – 18 
​Week 7July 21 – 25 
​Week 8​​​July 28 – August 1
​Week 9​​August 4 – 8 
​Week 10​​​August 11 – 15

 * Juneteenth will be observed on Thursday, June 19, 2025.  Camps can be held this week if the host organization would like, but limited tech support will be available on that day.

If you are a student in​terested in attending a camp, please note that locations vary year-to-year depending on the organizations that register to host a camp. We will publish a list of host location in early May.

TYPES OF CAMPS 

​​STANDARD CAMP ($1,200)
​ADVANCED CAMP ($1,500)
​Intro to CyberPatriot
​YESNO​
​Intro to Virtual Machines
​YES​NO
​Cyber Ethics
​YES​YES
​​Windows 10
​Security Policies
Account Management
File Protections
Auditing & Monitoring
​Graphical Utilities Windows
Command Line
Sysinternals Suite
​Ubuntu 18
​Terminology & Concepts
Basic User Interface Security
Basic Command Line
Intermediate Security
​Init Systems
Advanced Command Line
Processes and Scheduled Tasks
Security Policies and PAM
Networking
​Cisco NetAcad
​NO​YES
​Competition Day
​YES​YES


STANDARD CAMPS ($1,200) 

Standard camps are designed to teach beginner students the basics of cybersecurity. No prior cybersecurity knowledge is required for participants. The following is an outline of the curriculum for the Standard CyberCamp.

  • Monday: Introduction to the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, introduction to cybersecurity & careers, cyber ethics, online safety, how computers work, virtual machines, and cyber threats .
  • Tuesday: Cybersecurity principles, basic Windows security policies and tools, account management, windows file protections, and auditing and monitoring. Students will follow along and work with the Windows 10 demonstration image.
  • Wednesday: Introduction to Linux, Ubuntu 18 terminology and concepts, basic GUI security, and intro to CLI. Students will follow along and work with the Ubuntu 18 demonstration image. 
  • Thursday: Basic command line security and intermediate Ubuntu security. Students will follow along and work with the Ubuntu 18  demonstration image. ​
  • Friday - CyberPatriot competition day. Students will compete against their fellow campers on Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18 competition images. 

ADVANCED CAMPS ($1,500) 

The Advanced Camp curriculum is designed to allow instructors to pick and choose which areas of interests their students might best learn from. There is more information made available than will fit in a four-hour camp day -- instructors have the option to pick the topics which are best suited for their session. Friday must be reserved for the CyberPatriot competition. ​​

  • Windows 10 Module -- Windows Graphical Utilities, Windows Command Line, optional Sysinternals Suite.
  • Ubuntu 18 Module -- Init Systems, Advanced Command Line, Processes and Scheduled Tasks, optional Security Policies and PAM, optional Networking.
  • Cisco NetAcad -- Networking Modules 1-3.

Sample Schedule :​

  • Monday - Cyber Ethics Module, Windows 10 Module
  • Tuesday - Windows 10 Module, Ubuntu 18
  • Wednesday - Ubuntu 18 Module 
  • Thursday - Cisco Networking​
  • Friday - CyberPatriot competition day. Teams of students compete against each other on advanced Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18 images.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The AFA CyberCamp curriculum and activities are largely computer based. To maximize student engagement, the host organization should meet the following technical specifications:

  • One computer for every 2-3 campers (at a minimum)All computers, including the presentation computer, must have internet access and must be capable of running VMWare Workstation Player, WinMD5, and 7-Zip.
  • PCs are preferred. Chromebooks and iPads are not compatible with CyberCamp software. Mac computers are acceptable but will not be eligible for technical assistance from the CyberPatriot Program Office. If you believe you will be using Mac computers for your camp, please contact us directly so that we may assist with proper pre-testing before your camp.
  • A projector and presentation computer with Microsoft PowerPoint.

Full technical specifications are available HERE .​

Questions? Contact AFACyberCamps@uscyberpatriot.org​