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PlayOwl

Computers & Digital Literacy · Grade 9

Recognize Phishing and Social Engineering

Learners study how social engineering exploits ordinary human responses such as urgency, authority and helpfulness, then practice reading sender addresses and web addresses to find the domain that really controls a link. They learn to verify through a separate, known channel, respond calmly after a mistake, and design organizational defenses that cover email, phone, text messages, QR codes and in-person tricks. All messages are fictional and use reserved example domains.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 105 minutes
  • Phishing and social engineering check: 10 questions
  • Ways to answer: fill in the blanks, choose an answer, highlight a text, match pairs, type a number and put in order
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What learners will discover

  • Recognize common social-engineering techniques and the psychological levers they use: urgency, fear, authority, curiosity, reward and helpfulness.
  • Analyze messages and links: compare display names with real sender addresses, find the registrable domain in a web address, and spot lookalike domains and risky requests.
  • Verify requests through a separate, known channel and respond safely after a mistake: report quickly, change passwords from the real site, and support a no-blame culture.
  • Recognize social engineering by phone, text message, QR code, approval prompt and in person, and design organizational defenses such as verification procedures and reporting.

Lessons

  1. How social engineering works 6 steps3 practiceabout 25 min
  2. Reading messages and links 7 steps4 practiceabout 30 min
  3. Verify, then respond 6 steps3 practiceabout 25 min
  4. Beyond email, and defenses for organizations 6 steps3 practiceabout 25 min
  5. Phishing and social engineering check 10 questions at the end

Keep exploring

More 9th grade computer skills

Guide for grown-ups