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Yikes ! A university teaching thier students how to make viruses

Yet another brilliant idea
rolleye.gif
 
I think the AV vendors who are complaining because they're afraid someone might blow the whistle on them since we all suspect that it's AV vendors who are developing viruses to begin with 😀
 
I dunno. I might be being overly optimistic here - I see it as kinda simalr to teaching martial arts - in that comparison, teaching martial arts is basically teaching someone how to maim another, but gathering from that knowledge of how the body moves, they learn how to defend themselves (hopefully).

I don't think they're doing for malicious intents or purposes, that's all.
 
Originally posted by: Jehovah
I dunno. I might be being overly optimistic here - I see it as kinda simalr to teaching martial arts - in that comparison, teaching martial arts is basically teaching someone how to maim another, but gathering from that knowledge of how the body moves, they learn how to defend themselves (hopefully).

I don't think they're doing for malicious intents or purposes, that's all.
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Not like it matters. Programming is programming. Anyone with 2 semesters of basic Computer Science course work could write a virus if they really wanted to. You either have ethics or you don't. It's just a different spin on the same old programming. No college student with a potentially bright future is going to waste his time taking this class just so he can write a virus. That's why God made IRC.
 
it isn't very hard, the WSH is installed by default into windows OS's , its a creative delivery method that takes talent
 
Heh. It's okay, viruses nowadays are pathetically inert and rarely do anything but spread and occasionally enslave machines for stupid packet kiddies. It's not as if they were teaching them how to code virii that use modern propagation techniques and then corrupt your whole fscking harddrive and reflash you BIOS like you'd see back in the olden days. A virus like that that used several different security holes to get in, then propagated itself through all those different holes to just a few hundred other machines before destroying the host computer would be CATASTROPHIC.
 
Any computer science grad who WANTS to write a virus probably COULD write a virus. Writing some of these worms that are popular these days does require finding out where the security holes are... but that's just a matter of paying attention to what holes Microsoft plugs, and writing your virus while the majority of computers have not yet installed the update. I don't think this course is that big a deal.
 
'eh its not that big of a deal, most of the students in the class could already do it if they wanted to on their own. In chemistry you learn how to make explosives, etc. You can't forbid knowledge just because it can be dangerous, sometimes knowing about it can be helpful.
 
Originally posted by: Soybomb
'eh its not that big of a deal, most of the students in the class could already do it if they wanted to on their own. In chemistry you learn how to make explosives, etc. You can't forbid knowledge just because it can be dangerous, sometimes knowing about it can be helpful.
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Knowing about it is helpful. This course is a very good idea.
 
For some reason, I think I've already heard about this. I've heard of a couple of other places that either offer it, or are thinking about it.

I think the course is a good idea, it's not like it's hard to write a virus anyway. I'm thinking they will come out with more in depth knowledge of the techniques used etc. Not to mention I hope ethics is a big part of this course.
 
Yes, I am kind of wondering where the Hot Deal is too.

Anyway, this sounds like a bad idea. I like this quote from the article, maybe not the best analogy but it is still pretty good.

"If I want to combat smallpox, I'm not going to create a new deadlier strain of smallpox."
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I don't know that I like the smallpox thing. If nothing else you could liken it to locksmiths being trained to get past security devices, and computer security people being trained in a similar fashion. It doesn't mean they do it when they're not supposed to, but the locksmith needs to know how it works to let you in your car, and the IT guy does to audit the webserver to be sure your credit card data is secure. Better to know whats involved than hope you're right.
 
umm, this is a news headline? i guess it's news to you non-bio people here, but this really isn't at all shocking.




=|
 
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