Control - Alt - Hack TM : A Card Game for Computer Security Outreach

A general lack of awareness about computer security contributes to the insecurity of new consumer technologies. We seek to increase people’s prioritization of computer security and their understanding of the variety of attacks and technologies that can be vulnerable to compromise. We work towards this goal via fun: more specifically, via a recreational tabletop card game where people play as white hat hackers. In this paper, we describe our goals and experiences in creating this card game. We licensed a game mechanic from a hobbyist game company, worked with graphic designers and illustrators, and rewrote card text to make the game about working as a computer security professional. We discuss the possibilities for expanding the educational benefits of this game, both in and out of the classroom. We conclude by inviting others to engage in this outreach space by creating games or other enticing and novel artifacts to increase awareness and appreciation of the complexities and impact of computer security on people’s daily lives.