University of Calgary to Offer Virus-Writing Class

[eakers]

University of Calgary to Offer Virus-Writing Class
By Dennis Fisher

It has come to this: A professor at the University of Calgary in the fall will teach a class that will show students how to code viruses and Trojans. The university is billing the class as the first of its kind in Canada, and it may well be the first such course anywhere.
The class, entitled "Computer Viruses and Malware," will "focus on developing malicious software such as computer viruses, worms and Trojan horses," according to a press release announcing the availablilty of the course. Students will also learn how to deconstruct and analyze malicious programs and delve into the ethics and legalities surrounding viruses.

read more here...



if its a repost...don't blame me, i did a search.

 

[Anubis]

WTF. why would you TEACH someone that. thats doesent soudn cool

 

[BCYL]

Damnit why didnt they offer this course at University of British Columbia earlier? I would surely have taken it...

<--- Just graduated last month

 

[eakers]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
WTF. why would you TEACH someone that. thats doesent soudn cool

This, they say, is the only real way to prepare for a career in the AV industry.

 

[BCYL]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
WTF. why would you TEACH someone that. thats doesent soudn cool

Once you know how virus are constructed, it will be much easier to write detection/cleanup utilities...

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Originally posted by: eakers

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
WTF. why would you TEACH someone that. thats doesent soudn cool

This, they say, is the only real way to prepare for a career in the AV industry.

Microsoft programmers should take this course so they can learn how to write a fast, small, efficient, stable and effective piece of software.

 

[Zombie]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
WTF. why would you TEACH someone that. thats doesent soudn cool

I guess you are a liberal arts major. :|

 

[Anubis]

im a physica major. but from teh article

"You don't need to know how to write a new virus in order to combat it," Belthoff said. "That reasoning is severely questionable.

 

[Zombie]

Well that is the guys opinion. Knowledge should not be restricted just because some @ssclown can use to harm others. If we go by that guys opinion majors like Chemical eng, chemistry, biology, comp sci, mechenical eng ...etc won't be offered by colleges. All those majors teach students how to harm others to some extent.

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
im a physica major. but from teh article

"You don't need to know how to write a new virus in order to combat it," Belthoff said. "That reasoning is severely questionable.

"Know thy enemy, and you will know thyself"

The logic you are using is flawed. The best system security experts were former hackers. By knowing vulnerabilties, you have insight into the solution.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
WTF. why would you TEACH someone that. thats doesent soudn cool

If the white hats don't write them, the entire anti-virus industry will continue to be reactionary, constantly on defense. If white hats start writing and developing these technologies, anti-virus companies can have a leg up on the competition and possibly take away some of the advantage the black hats currently have.

Knowing your enemy is a good idea.

 

[damiano]

I have been taking hardcore hacking classes lately in order to protect the networks of my clients...
KNOWING HOW YOUR ENEMY thinks and works is the first step to protect yourself against him

 

[MaxDepth]

SO! That's how Toronto got SARS.


I was wondering...

 

[Anubis]

i understand it. now that i thought about it. if my school offered a class to physics majors on how to build bombs id be teh first one in line.