[August 10, 2011] Delaware County Tech schools to offer cyber-security classes Tweet Aug 10, 2011 (The Philadelphia Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- If you think that e-mail scams -- say, the Nigerian civil servant offering a lucrative bonus if you'll help with a bank transfer -- are easy to spot, look again. Sometimes, just clicking on a website in an e-mail is enough to compromise a home computer. Once you've given them access, hackers can install malicious software, or malware, and search for your credit card number. The cyber thieves then set up a recurring charge for $1 each month, an amount likely to slip by many consumers. "If I did that 8,000 times, I'd be really rich," said Joseph Rach, president of Kestrel Information Securities in West Chester, a cyber security consulting firm. Rach will be one of the instructors this fall at a series of cyber-security classes for novices, sponsored by Delaware County Technical High Schools at campuses in Folcroft, Aston, and Marple. Hackers have become adept at invading the lives of unsuspecting computer users -- stealing identities, compromising home networks, and crashing Facebook. The more comfortable people become with the technology, the more personal information they divulge and the more vulnerable they become, said Mark Ornstein, assistant director for the technical schools. The classes will address such topics as the invasion of home networks and social networking sites, e-mail scams, and the dangers in online banking. "This is not [about] how to use Twitter. Our focus is security," said Nancy White, president of Digital Consulting Associates, a West Chester-based firm that provides computer forensics and IT security training. It is partnering with the technical schools to present the classes. Rach, who recently returned from the Defcon Hackers conference in Las Vegas, said there is no intrusion-free environment: USB drives sent through the mail or left on an office desk may contain malware. Hackers can undercut games on Facebook to lure users into paying them directly. Software promising to scan for viruses may actually be infecting a computer. Being aware of what can happen and prepared to address the problem immediately are strategies covered in the classes, Rach said. Ten two-hour "learning series" classes will be held in the evening at the Folcroft and Aston campuses beginning Sept. 27. The fee per class is $40. A separate 80-hour certificate series of 10 classes for those who want to pursue a career in cyber security will be offered during the day at the Marple campus, starting in October. The cost for each class is $160. To register online, access www.delcotech.org/t/continuingeducation, or call 610-583-7620. Contact staff writer Mari A. Schaefer at 610-892-9149, [email protected] or @MariSchaefer on Twitter. To see more of The Philadelphia Inquirer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.philly.com/inquirer. Copyright (c) 2011, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]