University of Calgary to teach virus writing

"Once again the University of Calgary's Department of Computer Science explores new territory as it becomes the first institution in Canada to offer a course in Computer Viruses and Malware as part of its undergraduate program. This course is unique; along with covering legal, ethical and computer security issues, it will focus on developing malicious software such as computer viruses, worms and Trojan horses that are known to wreak havoc to the tune of billions of dollars world-wide on an annual basis," says the University of Calgary press release. Sophos is hopping mad. "Should we teach kids how to break into cars if they're interested in becoming a policeman one day? It is simply not necessary to write new viruses to understand how they work and how they can be prevented," says Graham Cluley.