By implementing the CybeRes project, our primary objective was to enhance individuals' "psychological cyber resilience" against digital threats and minimize cybersecurity victimization. Moving beyond traditional technical training, we aimed to help adults manage human factors such as helplessness, panic, and stress that arise during cyber crises. Specifically, we wanted to achieve the following: 1. To strengthen adults' ability to manage digital crises (self-efficacy) and their capacity to seek help without shame (social support). 2. To make human cyber resilience "measurable" by developing and testing a free, AI-supported online training platform. This platform aimed to feature Pre-test and Post-test evaluation tools, 5 interactive modules, and 4 language options (German, English, Norwegian, Turkish). 3. To ensure the digital integration of adults with limited technical knowledge and to raise overall societal cybersecurity awareness. 4. To establish an innovative European methodology in cybersecurity education by strengthening the exchange of good practices among the transnational consortium partners from Germany and Norway.
The rapid digitalization of daily life has led to a significant increase in cyber threats. While traditional cybersecurity training focuses heavily on technical defenses, the weakest link during a crisis is often human psychology. When faced with a cyber attack, individuals frequently experience panic, helplessness, and stress, which escalate the crisis. We applied for the CybeRes project to address this critical gap. The primary need we identified was the lack of educational tools that build "psychological cyber resilience" alongside basic digital skills. Adults needed an accessible, innovative methodology to help them manage stress, seek social support without shame, and develop self-efficacy during digital crises. To meet these needs, we aimed to create an AI-supported and multilingual e-learning platform. By shifting the focus from mere technical details to human psychology, this project aimed to empower adult learners in the digital world and minimize cybersecurity victimization across Europe.