"Among the core courses is one titled “Defence against technical reconnaissance”. Over 144 hours across two semesters, students are taught the full toolkit of modern hacking, including password attacks, software vulnerabilities and so called trojans – malicious programs disguised as legitimate software that can grant unauthorised access to a system.

To pass the course, students are required to carry out “practical penetration tests”, while one module is devoted entirely to computer viruses. As part of the assessment, they must develop one themselves.

Students are also taught the structure and organisation of US and British military intelligence agencies. Separate sessions cover the use of western intelligence in the war in Ukraine, and the development of enemy reconnaissance and strike drones on the Ukrainian battlefield.

Apart from hacking tasks, the curriculum also covers information warfare. Advanced students must complete a seminar on developing a disinformation campaign, the documents suggest, tasked with creating a social media video using “manipulation, pressure and hidden propaganda”.

Students are taught the mechanics of psychological manipulation and how to impose a “correct” perception of information on an audience."

  • northface@lemmy.ml
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    4 hours ago

    Remember, kids - all nations with any kind of intelligence agency to speak of have these training programs, some of them are even openly recruiting. They’re not just grabbing computer wizards off the street to serve in their cyber warfare armies anymore (even if that does still happen).

    But I guess it’s more newsworthy to point at your enemies :-)