Pa. school, spy agency seek high school hackers

Bored with classes? Carnegie Mellon University and one of the government's top spy agencies want to teach high school students about computer hacking.

 

   "Toaster Wars" is a national online contest scheduled to run from April 26 to May 6. The goal is to train the nation's next generation of cyber warriors in offensive and defensive strategies.

 

   The game is sponsored by the National Security Agency, which is responsible for code breaking and protecting the U.S. from cyberattack. NSA representative Vanee Vines says Friday that the U.S. increasingly needs professionals with highly technical cyber skills to help keep the country safe.

 

   Carnegie Mellon professor David Brumley says the game will be fun, but also hopes participants will see that computer security may be a career choice, too.