Need help with boost engagement in your cyber security community? Community Challenge templates are a proven way to spark friendly competition and learning. Use these ready-made prompts to inspire collaboration and make participation fun and rewarding.
Plan your content calendar and auto-post to Skool, Circle, or Mighty Networks
Community Challenges tap into the power of gamification and social motivation. When members are invited to take on tangible, achievable tasks, they are more likely to participate and connect with others. Challenges create a sense of accomplishment and recognition, which fosters loyalty and a positive community culture.
In cyber security communities, challenges can turn learning opportunities or best practices into actionable steps. They encourage both beginners and experts to share knowledge, break down silos, and celebrate wins together. By making participation playful and attainable, you drive deeper engagement and long-term retention.
Password Power-Up Challenge: Update one weak password using a password manager. Share your experience below!
💡 Example: "I updated my old email password and set up a password manager for the first time!"
Phishing Spotter: Post a screenshot or description of a suspicious email you received this week.
💡 Example: "Here's a fake invoice email I almost clicked on. Watch out for these!"
Two-Factor Test: Enable 2FA on one account and tell us which app or method you chose.
💡 Example: "I turned on 2FA for my bank app using Authy. Feels much safer!"
Cyber Hygiene Check: List one risky digital habit you want to improve this month.
💡 Example: "I want to stop reusing passwords across sites."
MFA Monday: How many of your accounts have multi-factor authentication? Share your number!
💡 Example: "Only 3 so far. Time to set up more!"
Scam Awareness: Share a tip for spotting social engineering tricks.
💡 Example: "If someone pressures you for urgent info, double-check their ID."
Device Defense: When did you last update your operating system? Let us know.
💡 Example: "I updated my phone yesterday after seeing this post."
Breach Buster: Check if your email is in a data breach and report your findings.
💡 Example: "My email was in 2 breaches. I changed my passwords right away."
Secure Setup: Share your favorite browser security extension.
💡 Example: "I love using uBlock Origin for blocking trackers."
Cyber Myth Busters: Name one cyber security myth you believed before learning the truth.
💡 Example: "I thought Macs could not get viruses until I joined this group."
Patch Party: Did you install this month's security updates? Comment 'Done!' when finished.
💡 Example: "Done! All my devices are up to date."
App Audit: Remove one unused app from your device and tell us what it was.
💡 Example: "I just deleted an old game I never play anymore."
Quiz Time: Can you spot the phishing attempt? Vote on the poll below.
💡 Example: "I picked email B as the phishing attempt."
Security Storytelling: Share a time you fell for a cyber scam or almost did.
💡 Example: "I once clicked a fake Netflix login and had to reset everything."
USB Safety: Where do you keep your backup drives? Share your safe storage tips.
💡 Example: "I keep my backup drive locked in a drawer away from my computer."
Firewall Friday: Do you use a firewall at home? Yes or no?
💡 Example: "Yes, I use the built-in Windows firewall."
Social Media Lockdown: Update your privacy settings and share what you changed.
💡 Example: "I set my Instagram to private and limited profile info."
Password Length Challenge: What's the longest password you use? No need to share the password, just the length.
💡 Example: "My longest is 24 characters."
VPN Victory: Try a VPN this week and let us know how it worked.
💡 Example: "I tried ProtonVPN and it was easy to set up."
Malware Hunt: Name one free anti-malware tool you trust.
💡 Example: "I use Malwarebytes for regular scans."
Security Meme Contest: Post your favorite cyber security meme today!
💡 Example: "Here's a meme about password123 being the real root of all evil!"
Incident Response Roleplay: Describe your first step if your account got hacked.
💡 Example: "I would immediately change my password and enable 2FA."
Security Setup Showoff: Share a photo of your workstation security (cover sensitive info).
💡 Example: "Photo of my desk with webcam cover and cable lock."
Link Check: Use a link scanner on a suspicious URL and share your result.
💡 Example: "Scanned a fake bank link, came up as phishing."
Security Hero of the Month: Nominate a community member who shared a great tip.
💡 Example: "I nominate Sarah for her advice on secure WiFi settings."
Cyber Book Club: Recommend a book or article that improved your cyber security knowledge.
💡 Example: "I learned a lot from 'The Art of Invisibility' by Kevin Mitnick."
Cyber Security Bingo: Can you complete 3 out of 5 tasks this week? Mark your progress below.
💡 Example: "I finished updating passwords, installed updates, and deleted old accounts."
Red Team, Blue Team: Which would you rather join and why?
💡 Example: "I'd join Blue Team because I love defending networks."
Secure Your WiFi: Change your home router password this week. Share your best tip for WiFi security.
💡 Example: "I disabled WPS and set a strong password."
App Permissions Audit: Pick one app and review its permissions. Did you revoke any? Tell us.
💡 Example: "I revoked camera access from Facebook."
Security Setting Sunday: Tweak one device security setting and share what you changed.
💡 Example: "Enabled auto-lock on my laptop after 5 minutes."
Cyber Movie Night: Recommend a movie or show with a cyber security theme.
💡 Example: "Mr Robot is my all-time favorite!"
Safe Shopping Challenge: Name one tip for secure online shopping.
💡 Example: "Always check for HTTPS before entering card details."
Digital Declutter: Clean up your email inbox. How many spam emails did you delete?
💡 Example: "I deleted over 300 spam emails today."
Fake News Detective: Spot a fake cyber security news headline and share it.
💡 Example: "Saw a headline claiming Windows is immune to all viruses."
Security Habit Tracker: What is your #1 daily security habit?
💡 Example: "I lock my computer every time I leave my desk."
Cyber Jargon Buster: Explain a cyber security term in plain English.
💡 Example: "Phishing means tricking people into giving up sensitive info through fake messages."
Browser Bookmark Audit: Remove 3 bookmarks to sites you no longer use.
💡 Example: "Deleted old bookmarks to outdated forums."
Security Wishlist: What cyber security tool or feature do you wish existed?
💡 Example: "I wish for a universal password manager with biometric login."
Data Detox: Unsubscribe from one unnecessary email list and share your progress.
💡 Example: "Unsubscribed from old shopping newsletters."
Cyber Security Haiku: Write a haiku about staying safe online.
💡 Example: "Passwords long and strong, Phishing emails in the bin, Safe another day."
To use these templates, simply copy and paste the prompt that fits your community's interests or current topics. Announce the challenge at the beginning of the week or month, outline the rules, and encourage members to share their progress in the comments or a dedicated thread. Offer small rewards or public recognition for participation to keep motivation high. Rotate challenge types regularly to keep things fresh and appeal to different skill levels.
For all platforms, use pinning, scheduled posts, or announcement features to highlight your challenge. In chat or forum settings, create a dedicated thread or channel for updates. On social media, use a branded hashtag to track participation and boost visibility. Engage with every response to sustain momentum.
To engage your community with current issues, craft prompts that focus on analysis or simulation of recent zero-day vulnerabilities. For example, ask members to spot mitigation techniques, share incident response workflows, or reverse-engineer recent threat vectors. This keeps discussions timely and relevant, leveraging real-world case studies to spark participation and learning.
Create a series of sample phishing emails—some obvious, some highly sophisticated—using techniques like spoofed domains, credential harvesting links, or social engineering language. Ask members to identify red flags, explain their reasoning, and discuss possible user awareness strategies. You can also gamify it by awarding points for correct identifications and creative countermeasures.
Prompt your community to map out a response to a specific NIST control or ISO 27001 clause, such as 'Access Control Policy.' Ask them to share real-life implementation challenges, audit experiences, or tools used for compliance monitoring. Encourage peer review of sample policies or gap assessments to deepen the conversation beyond surface-level knowledge.
Structure your challenge by splitting the community into Red (attack) and Blue (defense) teams. Use virtual labs or CTF (Capture the Flag)-style environments to stage mock attacks (e.g., privilege escalation, lateral movement) while defenders monitor logs and respond. Encourage members to submit post-mortems, discuss detection strategies, and share lessons learned to maximize learning for both groups.
Launch a weekly or monthly threat intel analysis session where members share IOCs (Indicators of Compromise), TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures), or recent threat actor reports. Prompt discussion on detection methods, impact on different environments (cloud, on-prem), and mitigation strategies. This helps keep the community updated and strengthens collective defense.
Post code snippets or small applications containing vulnerabilities from the OWASP Top 10 (such as SQL injection or XSS). Challenge members to identify the flaws, patch them, and explain secure coding techniques. Encourage peer review and discussion on language-specific best practices. This practical approach reinforces knowledge and supports secure software development.
Skool · Circle · Mighty Networks