connect the dots

Let's see.

A couple weeks ago my computer security class was given our 3rd assignment:

You are to perform a remote security evaluation of one or more computer systems. The evaluation should be conducted over the Internet, using tools available in the public domain.

Seems innocent enough. However, this was forwarded in an alarmist email to the LAN-Managers group on campus, which caught the attention of our Novell admin, Greg Riedesel. He posted about it. The assignment was then forwarded to the ISC at sans.org, which wrote a scathing diary entry that laid into our teacher for being "irresponsible." Some concerned geek thought it appropriate to forward the story on to Slashdot, which mostly thought ISC was full of it.

This has become quite the joke to the class, which is making up wanted posters for "Professor Packetslinger", and pictures of him with a cat5 lasso and network card revolver. Unfortunately the CS admins are going to have to patch things up with the administration, who went completely over the head of the professor.

Kind of fun being part of the news.