One little computer virus can ruin your whole day, or even wipe out months of work. As computer hackers grow in sophistication, Metro is educating students to counter this kind of cyber-destruction.

"Technology advances make us all more vulnerable to criminal activity, and individuals, businesses and governments are spending considerable resources to defend computer networks from cyber attacks and pursue cyber criminals," says Steve Beaty, chair of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences.

Beaty teaches a course on computer security and is working with other campus departments, including the Department of Criminal Justice, to develop a curriculum for a degree program in computer security. Beaty's computer security course is designed for students interested in various aspects of cyber crime and the criminal justice system, such as working in the IT department of a private business or in public law enforcement. Topics include malicious software and viruses, computer fraud and identity theft, homeland security and the collection of forensic evidence from a computer in criminal investigations.

"Computer security is a growing concern in the business community and we're working to expand the body of knowledge through expert presentations and additional course offerings," explained Beaty.

The computer science program is offering a free lecture series on computer security beginning this Friday. The series will feature experts from the local business community, including Qwest, Lockheed Martin and Swift Foods. All lectures are from 10 to 11 a.m. in Science 228, and the schedule is as follows:

March 18 - Secure B2B and B2C Communication, Qwest
April 1 - Social Engineering, Swift Foods
April 15 - Computer and Information Security, Lockheed Martin
May 6 - Topic TBA, Lockheed Martin

For additional information about the lectures visit http://cs.mscd.edu.