Professor 'Packetslinger' Assigns Questionable Task

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Wednesday March 1, 2006 @08:46AM from the applications-flooding-in-for-the-school-of-loose-screws dept.

mrowton writes "A professor at an undisclosed university recently assigned a practical for his computer-security class. The practical, which is worth 15 percent of the students final grade, requires students to perform reconnaissance on an internet server using tools available in the public domain. While the university is allowing the practical to continue it has also stated that the techniques should not be performed on their own web servers. If students are caught performing any scans against university computers then it would prompt: "Disabling their student account and referring them to the Student Dean of Corrections." The assignment was enough for SANS to dub him 'Professor Packetslinger of the School of Loose Screws.'"

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Isn't it his job to teach his students? by Fefe · 2006-03-01 11:18 · Score: 4, Insightful

How would you teach security if not by trying out the attack tools?

I don't see what the hoopla is about here. He asked them to do a scan, not open them up and format the hard disk or download files on it.

Maybe his next assignment is the ethics. Maybe it's just a test to see if any of his students find this ethically wrong and refuse to do it. Maybe he would have given them extra points.

I run several servers on the Internet, and I get port scanned all the time. Even more so at home, where my dynamic DSL IP is hit by worms many times each day.

Dear American proto-hackers, you are welcome to come to Europe and learn the tools of your trade here. We meet every year between Christmas and New Year at the CCC Congress, and we have a LAN there, so people can get acquainted with the tools.