He’s only 15, but Toby Williams is already a cyber hero. The Sydney student is on a mission to keep his community safe online, even helping protect his local church parish from scammers.
“They asked for assistance in establishing whether an email directed to their online Etsy Store was legitimate or a scam,” he says.
A Year 11 Aspiring Cyber Security Specialist
Toby, who starts Year 11 this year, aspires to become a cyber security specialist, and is laying the foundations of his career early. He recently completed three modules of the Cyber Wardens program in his spare time, and is now using his newfound knowledge to educate others. He says his journey started when a family member asked for advice on a suspicious email.
“They knew of my interest in cyber security and this started an important conversation. I was able to use what I had learnt through Cyber Wardens, to teach them how to spot common tricks and scams. The email did indeed have hallmarks of a phishing scam. Because of this new knowledge, they avoided interacting with the scam and protected their account and business.”
Toby says the email claimed to be from Etsy, asking for banking details and urging the recipient to log into the portal.
But upon checking the email address and the link embedded in the message, he discovered it was not legitimate.
He told his family member to ignore the email and recommended they take a number of steps to boost their online security for Etsy and other accounts, including installing an authenticator app and secure password manager, and using multi-factor authentication where possible.
“I encouraged the use of unique, strong passwords/passphrases across all websites and apps. Automatic updates and data backups were also put into place. As a teen I was happy to see that cyber security education can empower people at any age or digital skill level.”
Toby also volunteered with a group of fellow school students last year at his local parish through a program called ‘Tech Savvy Seniors’.
He says the program helps seniors with basic technology training such as how to use Zoom, create contacts and set up email accounts.
But the group pivoted to cyber security awareness after the parish priest became the target of another scam.
“The scammers sent out an email pretending to be from the priest, saying ‘Hello, I need some help with a favour’, or asking parishioners to buy VISA gift cards. And so during the Tech Savvy Seniors meetings after that incident, I was informing them of how to protect against scams, how phishing schemes occur, the sense of urgency detailed within the emails and warning about messages asking for sensitive information or money.”
Toby’s mum Maria Williams received one of the scam emails, but says the parish quickly followed up with a warning.
“By the time I saw the scam email I had already received the warning from the parish, advising us not to respond, click on any links or purchase anything,” she says.
“It was certainly a hot topic.”
She says she has also leaned on her son for cyber advice, and he encouraged her to take the Cyber Wardens course.
“I found the course really interesting, including things like if you have a lot of apps on your phone, and you haven't really touched them in a while, that can actually be a risk,” she says.
“And the fact that it’s free is great.”
While Maria says she is incredibly proud of her son, Toby insists he is simply doing what he believes is important.
“I feel a need to be able to help those around me, especially people who are younger or older and don’t really have that much experience with the newer technologies,” he says.
“The seniors especially have been very appreciative towards me and the other students helping them.”
Determined to get a head start on his career, Toby completed programs such as Cyber Wardens alongside other adult learning such as an online programming course through the University of Helsinki.
He already has a LinkedIn profile and ultimately hopes to study a Bachelor of Cyber Security, and secure an Industry Degree Academy (IDeA) cadetship at the University of Technology Sydney.
Cyber Wardens - The Free Cyber Security Training
The free Cyber Wardens program is designed for small business owners – but anyone can do it. The expanding range of courses, including the 10-minute Foundations, are available at cyberwardens.com.au/courses/
