French hackers' school claims aim is good

A new school for computer hackers has opened in Paris, in what is believed to be a world first.

Zi Hackademy is based in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, and charges 450 francs, or about £45, for a course of nine lessons in computer hacking.

The teachers, none of whom go by their real names, have all worked on the French hackers' magazine Hackerz Voice, which teaches, amongst other things, how to invent false credit card details and fiddle your mobile phone bills.

But the school maintains that the focus of the courses is ethical hacking and learning to protect yourself and your websites from malicious cyber attacks.

The Paris police say they are watching the school with interest, but have not yet made any moves to close it down.

If you are tempted to enrol on a course and you want to pay by credit card, you are advised to do it over the phone. After all, as the school's website says, paying over the internet is not secure.