Cybersecurity — An integral part of STEM

As technology advances in society, the number of those who threaten its security also has increased. As devices gradually contain more sensitive information, they must be protected from unauthorized access. Cybercriminals are constantly finding new exploits and threats to get around the operating system´s innermost workings and steal sensitive data, and potentially make that piece of technology insecure. Since technology is an integral part of a STEM education, we must secure our cyberspace for the future by integrating cyber security with K-12 STEM education. This paper aims to educate the public about the general lack of emphasis on cybersecurity-related education at the K-12 level, possible ways to solve it, the architectures of major Operating Systems, built-in security defense mechanisms, and the most vulnerable parts of the operating system. As technology continues to advance, we must educate ourselves in order to protect our systems against unauthorized access.