Viruses 101

Abstract

The University of Calgary introduced a controversial course in the fall of 2003 on computer viruses and malware. The primary objection about this course from the anti-virus community was that students were being taught how to create viruses in addition to defending against them. Unfortunately, the reaction to our course was based on a dearth of information, which we remedy in this paper by describing key pedagogical elements of the course.Specifically, we present four aspects of our course: how students are vetted for entry, operation of the course, course content, and the instructional materials used. In addition, we pay particular attention to the controversial course assignments, discussing the assignments and the need for balance, objectivity, security, and learning in a university environment. Our experiences with the course and future plans may be helpful for other institutions considering such course offerings. It should also provide opponents of the course with valuable information about the true nature of the course, the pedagogy used, and the value provided to the computer community as computer science graduates with this kind of expertise take their place as the next generation computer security experts.