Kaspersky launches a mobile game on cybersecurity, useful (and playable) in business

The game developed by Kaspersky, Disconnected, can be an effective complement to traditional corporate cybersecurity training programs. It can also be an original awareness tool for the general public.

Kaspersky found in a survey of IT and cybersecurity specialists that 50% of companies have cybersecurity hygiene programs or courses in place. However, many do not welcome these initiatives, considering that IT security has no real impact on their lives. So Kaspersky wondered how to improve awareness and learning of the main cyber mechanisms. The game, yes, the company thought that a mobile game could be an ideal solution. This is how was born Disconnected (or rather [Dis]connected).

A plot equivalent to a full 24-hour day

Offering its players to follow a quest for intrigue, Disconnected lets you experience a full 24-hour day set in a future where smart home assistants demonstrate amazing abilities, like cooking breakfast; and where underwater homes and enhanced human abilities are part of everyday life.

But while technological advances are certain, they don’t solve all the world’s problems either. An individual must always carry out several tasks simultaneously, both commercially and professionally. In the game, the character played by the user, who works for an implant manufacturer, must perform these different tasks.

Everything changes when the character’s business is taken over by a competitor, because the acquisition is conditional on the success of the player’s project. For example, in his private life, he must not break up with his partner who does not appreciate that they spend much less time together. At the same time, he must maintain good relations with his colleagues and friends, while remaining productive.

Several major computer security topics covered in the game

Kaspersky explains that the choices made by players in various areas are interconnected. The company, which naturally developed the game, also indicates that computer security elements have been integrated into the plot, in order to show players how their decisions can both help achieve the protagonist’s objectives and ruin. A player who decides, for example, to save time and not update his implants will not improve his productivity, and therefore will not be able to complete his project on time.

In the game, each player will have to solve 24 cases, dealing with many topics, such as e-mails, passwords, online browsing, messaging services, social networks, security of mobile devices and computers. In short, all the services or devices that are the source of a majority of successful computer attacks. Kaspersky promises several alternate endings, which obviously will vary depending on the decisions made throughout the game.

At the end of the game, promised to last an hour (multiple 10-minute sessions), players will receive a detailed report on how well they completed their project, with a cybersecurity skills assessment. Kaspersky has chosen a digestible and educational game, likely to stimulate the minds of players and be adopted in business. Disconnected has a free demo version of the game, on the App Store and Play Store.