Promoting cyber security across campus
Queen's EXCITE cyber security training
Since 2022, Zubr has worked in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast to develop an innovative Virtual Reality cyber security training experience as part of the EXCITE project. The EXCITE initiative aims to explore the enhancement of cyber security training through immersive technology. Together with Queen’s University, we seized the opportunity to use VR in higher education to deliver engaging and impactful cyber awareness education for students. Through gamified learning and immersive VR technology, the experience is designed to build practical knowledge of cyber resilience training in realistic and memorable scenarios.
At the heart of this project lies a key objective: to empower users with the skills to recognise, respond to, and prevent common cyber threats. By simulating real-world challenges and integrating university-specific branding and messaging, the Student Cyber Security Awareness experience offers an effective VR cyber security training experience for those in higher education.
Partners
Delivered in close partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, Zubr worked hand-in-hand with the university’s staff to ensure the training aligned with university standards, cyber resilience training policies, and student engagement best practices.
Zubr supported the creative development of bespoke university branding assets, incorporating the university’s official brand guidelines, logo, and digital identity, to ensure authenticity and recognisability throughout the experience.
This project was also supported by the National Cyber Security Centre, who awarded Queen’s University an ACE-CSE for demonstrating excellence in cyber security education.
Cyber essentials made easy
The Student Cyber Security Awareness experience is a multi-part, fully interactive cyber security training suite designed for VR headsets and web browsers, for maximum accessibility. The training consists of seven modular learning games:
- Password Strength Challenge – Learners rank passwords by strength, learning how to create secure and unique logins.
- Phishing Email Identification – Players classify emails as safe or malicious and identify phishing traits under timed pressure.
- Social Engineering Simulation – Participants interact with realistic scam scenarios through post, email, calls, and messages.
- Digital Footprint Explorer – Learners investigate how their online activities contribute to their digital identity and risk exposure.
- Secure Remote Working Café – A virtual café where users inspect common cybersecurity oversights in remote settings.
- Device Protection Scenario – Players “tidy up” their physical and digital environment before a virtual meeting.
- Social Media Professionalism Game – An e-professionalism test rooted in real-world student case studies.
Each module is introduced by a virtual host and supported by interactive quizzes, audio guidance, and university-relevant examples. Progress is unlocked by answering cyber awareness education questions, fostering reflection and engagement throughout.
Facing the threats of the future
Cyber security threats are growing in complexity and frequency, particularly within university settings where thousands of users, devices, and digital services intersect daily. Traditional training methods often fail to leave lasting impressions or to demonstrate real-world implications.
By using VR technology, this project transforms passive instruction into active learning. Users experience the risks of weak passwords, phishing attacks, and insecure practices in safe, simulated environments, making the consequences of digital missteps tangible and memorable.
Zubr’s aim was to translate complex security practices into accessible, scenario-based experiences that mirror the day-to-day challenges students face, all while ensuring that the training reflected Queen’s University Belfast’s tone and standards. The result is a programme that not only informs but empowers its participants.
The role of AR and VR in cyber security training
The Student Cyber Security Awareness VR training experience demonstrates how AR/VR can redefine cyber awareness education and resilience training. Immersive technologies are uniquely equipped to simulate real-life decision-making in a risk-free setting, whilst increasing user engagement through gamified, hands-on activities. The end result is a consistent, scalable training experience that promotes greater knowledge retention, boosting cyber security awareness.
In the context of higher education, where users often span a wide range of digital competencies, VR training ensures that critical concepts are both understood and retained. By placing learners directly inside the scenarios they’re being trained to recognise and avoid, we dramatically increase both awareness and agency.
Zubr is proud to have partnered with Queen’s University Belfast to deliver this forward-thinking solution. As cyber threats evolve, so too must our methods for combatting them — and VR cyber security training is a vital tool in that ever-evolving toolkit.