Would You Hire A Hacker? 466
theodp writes "A German security company has divided opinion in the IT industry by offering a job to the teen charged with creating Sasser. Silicon.com asks its CIO Jury: Would you hire a hacker? and finds the jury split down the middle, with one IT Director saying doing so would be like hiring serial-killing doctor Harold Shipman to treat your ailing and aged mother."
No, no, no! (Score:5, Informative)
-ESR (fake)
Hacker != Cracker. How-to. [catb.org]
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Informative)
For another, he's clearly subject to certain moral lapses.
I've been given this opportunity before, an applicant admited to hacking into a company to demonstrate his abilities and knowledge; they hired him. While I recognized his potential to help secure our network, could I trust him not to monitor peoples mail for his own amusement, access private data like salaries, "attack" computers of folks he didn't like, or otherwise cause trouble?
It took a slam dunk "Hire him" to a long debate, we wound up not making an offer.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:3)
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Insightful)
If a company's entire basis is the fact that their employees do not (or did not, if truly grey hat...) have integrity, they're sunk before they leave dock.
In the same breath, I will just state what I have seen someone else on /. state, and I found humorous: black hats are good hackers, white hats are good fakers, and grey hats are good liars.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sorry, but at least the person you didn't make an offer to was willing to come forth about it, let people know that he found that sort of behavior acceptable, and give a chance to lay down a set of rules that are perhaps more fitting to his particular morals. He was decent enough to give that opportunity.
I wonder how many people you've worked with have ever done the same things as this individual but haven't owned up to it. I wonder if anybody you've worked with monitored mail for their own amusement and just never set off warning flags during the interview process.
It's one thing to catch somebody doing something after giving them a chance (because of not being told about certain behaviors or not). It's another entirely to deny them a chance after they're trying to be out in the open with you.
Why would a spy come out and say they're a spy? It sets off alarms and unless you're just that damn good, blows any future chance of spying you have. Why would a cracker come out and declare they're a cracker unless they're willing to change their tune while on the job? I guess, unless you're looking for feints within feints.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:3, Insightful)
Nope. Why? Because hiding the fact means that he knows what he did was wrong. Because he admits to it in an interview, its a sign he doesn't view it as wrong. I don't care if he likes pornography, but if he brings it up in an interview, thats a s
Re:No, no, no! (Score:4, Insightful)
If it wasn't a job where theify things needed doing then I'd have to think about it. On one hand he could have kept mum about it. If it was something he was never caught doing prior I would be none the wiser. Maybe he's trying to start clean or stay on the right side of the lines, or just wants it all in the clear first. If the information is being provided in earnest and for my sake I wouldn't use it as a disqualifying point. You can bet he'd be watched if he got the job though.
On the other hand, if they're just trying to cover their bases so they don't get screwed over when their prior transgressions are uncovered, then I'm not so sure. In that instance the information isn't being cleared into the light for anybody's benefit but the thief's. This doesn't really seem to be the case for the post I originally replied to though.
As for crackers, there's a fine line between black and white hats, an internal state of morals and conduct. It isn't something one can directly observe since covering it up is possible. I wouldn't doubt there are black hats masquerading as white hats out there that are just good enough to never get caught. From that view, how does one tell the difference?
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Insightful)
if you could create a machine that he didn't have skills to crack... why would you need to hire him in the first place?
Re:No, no, no! (Score:3, Insightful)
Cracking skills come with some degree of specialization. You hired the guy to audit your Windows workstations, not your UNIX-clone servers.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Funny)
A good old fashion linefeed dot matrix printer... so a cracker may at some point be able to disable the feed, but if you were tracking them on the way in there's no way to cover their footprints electronically.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:No, no, no! (Score:3, Funny)
This is the way we actually used to do it. You ended up with with stacks of 14" wide greenbar paper literally feet high at the end of the week. Changed the ribbon all the time. Hell, we knew how to service the damned print head ourselves.
If the resource you're protecting is important (in the days of ultraexpensive computers it was), the effort is worthwhile.
And don't get me started on punch cards. You could stuff a futon with the dots you cleaned out of the machines in a month.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:No, no, no! (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't and nor does anyone in this office, if theres any question of trust around here, you're out on your ass.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Insightful)
For most crackers it is the thrill of defeating someone in power that gets them going. Trying to control him would only encourage him. No, if you can't trust him, then don't hire him, and someone that consistently has moral lapses is clearly not trustworthy.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:3, Insightful)
If a hacker gets caught , doesnt have to mean he isnt bright.Eg:Mitnick.He is the role model for many.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Insightful)
And while you are busy trying to make this assertion to a hiring manager, somebody else who doesn't deal with pedantic stuff like "hacker vs cracker" is taking your job.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No, no, no! (Score:5, Funny)
We need a new word that denotes a good or cool hack, or hacker. I propose "mugwump" but am open to reasonable suggestions...
Re:No, no, no! (Score:2, Insightful)
somesites suggest. ,like providing security etc.
hacker=harmful.
cracker=has the skills like hacker but uses them for good purpose
Its not my opinion ,but what I have seen in websites.
Re:No, no, no! (Score:2)
Yes. I would hire a hacker. What's he going to do? Write a virus to destroy the company network? His skills seem to be pretty much limited and I'm sure that prison time offered at him would really change the guy. Getting paid to do something he wants to do would not be somet
Amen! (Score:5, Funny)
I don't expect the mainstream press to know any better, but this is Slashdot. Can we please try to keep our definitions straight?
A hacker is a skilled, passionate computer programmer -- nothing more.
A person who commits malicious computer crimes is a biscuit. Like those evil software pirates who walk around with those parrots on their shoulders: "Polly want a biscuit!" Get it right, people.
Re:Amen! (Score:3, Interesting)
The "hacker code" that I grew up by was: "Hacker" is sort of an honorific. You can't call yourself a hacker. Others have to call you a hacker. If you call yourself a hacker, you almost assuredly aren't one.
Your definition needs fixing (Score:3, Funny)
My hacking skills t
Re:Amen! (Score:3, Insightful)
And gay means happy (Score:3)
BTW a hacker was not a skilled, passionate computer programmer, it was someone who created an ugly kludge to quickly solve a problem.
Extreme comparisons (Score:5, Interesting)
A little extreme on the allegories, aren't we? Virus writing is not exactly like taking out a knife and killing someone. (Although it may result in the shutdown of systems that support people's lives. I'd tend to blame this on the idiots who use Windows for those systems, though.)
As for hiring him, I think my answer would be "maybe". I certainly wouldn't hire him because of his transgressions, but rather despite them. Basically, everyone should be entitled to a second chance. If this employer believes that the guy has a lot of talent and is repentant of his past deeds, then give him another shot! He'll have to try damn hard to remove the stigma from his deeds, but try hard enough and he might just turn his life around.
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:2)
So, yeah, the hacker might have great talent in his specialty and he might even be worth your time to keep on your side as a defensive measure but you have to remember that he does have a good chance of still committing another crime.
Everyone deserves a second chance (especially when they were young and stupid as you d
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:5, Interesting)
Agreed. If we want to stick with the Doctor example, I would equate it more towards someone performing impressive medical research without a license. Or practicing medicine without a license.
Most of these virus writers are teenagers with no formal education and no job prospects as a result. Writing something like this proves they're not only talented, but quite bored. Give them something positive to work on, and a paycheck to boot, and im sure good results will come of it.
I think the fact that these teens exist is a result of the stupidity of the system to depend on education metrics to represent knowledge and value.
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:5, Insightful)
It proves they go to their favorite hacker website, download some proof of concept code, and wrap some VBScript around it.
I wouldn't call Sasser a work of genious, but a work of pure assholery. He didn't invent something, or do it to prove a point. The point was proven, the exploit was known. He did it to be a 1337 h4x0r.
I think the fact that these teens exist is a result of their own stupidity. Guess what, you want to commit crimes for attention, it just might fuck your entire life up.
Try and get a job in retail with a shoplifting conviction. Try and get a job as a kindergarten teacher with an assault conviction. Try and get anywhere in politics with virually any conviction greater than a traffic violation.
Boo hoo for teens too stupid to realize actions have consequences, sometimes life long consequences. And I'm sick of people blaming "the education system" or "society".
This kid was mentally developed enough to know what he was doing was wrong, and did it anyways. He's lucky to be offered a job doing anything more technical than digging holes in the dirt.
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:5, Insightful)
1) The possibility that this might motivate other crackers to unleash the next big worm to find a job.
2) What about the poor shmuck that does nothing wrong and gets passed up for a job.
3) Say you hire him and he goes back to his old ways. Wouldn't you be somewhat liable for damages caused to you clients.
As I said potential and possibly extreme situations.
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:5, Insightful)
First, I think that this kid has been punished pretty severely already. His *dad* got fired over it, and he has recieved his share of death threats. This is not something you can just take lightly, especially when one's actions affect those close to the perpetrator. BTW I do think that firing the guy's dad is a little severe. Indeed these actions were what motivated the German security firm to offer a job to the kid.
Secondly, the comparison to the serial-killing doctor is quite misguided. In this case, it is more like hiring the serial-killing doctor as a pathologist. He *might* make a really good pathologist. But there are no guarantees.
Finally, at least in the US, our legal system recognizes that teenagers are not as capable of considering consequences of their actions as adults,and there are some scientific studies which have been published in the last few years that may provide a solid scientific case for challenging those states which allow the death penalty for individuals under the age of 18 who commit capital crimes. If you say that "we will never allow anyone in this field to ever hire a teenager who commits this crime" then you are placing, IMO, unbalanced consequences for the misguided and even criminal actions of such individuals.
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't know how it is in Germany, and IANAL, so with that....
Where I live (Washington State), we are an "at will" state regarding employment. In otherwords, the state makes no real restrictions regarding grounds for termination. In certain cases, discrimination laws may apply, I think. So I can't fire you because of your race but I can fire you because I think your brother is a loser.
I can probably even fire everyone with the first name of "William" because I don't like Bill Gates... So....
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:2, Insightful)
i dislike the implication that his life needs to be "turned around." the kid made some dumb decisions about how to use his intelligence, i hardly think that makes him a terrible person. correct me if im wrong but i dont think he tried to rob a bank or gain in any other way except for, perhaps, recognition.
bad decision != bad person.
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:2)
Why? He may not be a bad kid, but he's still in deep shit. Right now he probably feels like his life is over. If he's smart, he'll make the best use of this opportunity as he possibly can. If he does well, he'll actually have a chance at other opportunities in the future.
Ergo, it's a chance to "turn his life around".
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:3, Insightful)
Do you really want to blame the victim, because of what OS they used? Think through your argument. If you got mugged, should someone be able to tell the cops "well, look at him, not too strong... it's his fault for being such an
Re:Extreme comparisons (Score:3, Insightful)
Actually, I wish more victims would take responsibility for some of their actions. If somebody leaves the door to their house wide open, or if they decided to go jogging in the nude in NY Central Park, Or downtown Dallas, do you really think that the victim shares no
Bad analogy (Score:5, Insightful)
Mitnick (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, if he's good with a knife..
Honestly though, if a hacker has payed his debt to society and now wants to help businesses prevent what he was doing(Kevin Mitnick), why not let them? Having the most knowledgeable person for the job might just save you from being hacked by someone else--as long as you can trust the person.
Re:Mitnick (Score:2, Insightful)
Precisely -- there's two possiblities as to the mindset of the people writing these things.
A) They don't truly understand the actual gravity of their actions.
If this is the case, I certainly wouldn't want to be hiring this kid. If he doesn't understand the global effect (probably to the tune of millions, maybe even billions of dollars) in the form of downtime, manpower involved in dealing with the problems, and actual cash forked over to repair people to get c
Re:Mitnick (Score:4, Interesting)
C) He did not predict the impact his actions would have.
Consider how many viruses are written that never amount to anything - a few dozen infections, you get on the antivirus list, and no one cares about your virus anymore. (Have you seen the length of those virus definition lists?) Consider that, in all likelihood, the kid associated with people who had written lots of viruses like that - probably even authored some himself. What do you think he would perceive the odds of making a virus this impactful to be? About the same odds that setting off a firecracker would burn down a city block: yes, they should be charged with arson, but don't assume that they meant to set it all on fire. They were just bored and wanted to see a few sparks.
Re:Mitnick (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not just about how you feel about it, it's how your clients feel as well.
There's always the danger that one of your employees is going do something evil. But hiring a known black hat makes you highly vulnerable. What happens when your competitor is giving a presentation to a potential client and says, "Yeah, those guys at FooCorp hired the guy who wrote that virus that took down GreatBigWebSite.com. I wouldn't trust that guy with my customer data, would you? Do you really want to do business with a company the rewards criminal behavior?" What percent of your potential business would you lose?
hacker? (Score:5, Insightful)
Would I hire a worm-writing kid? No.
Would I hire a gray-hat security genius? Absolutely.
Re:hacker? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:hacker? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:hacker? (Score:3, Interesting)
End result : Software is insanely optimized, thanks to worm-writing kid who has insight on the program so you KNOW he's gonna break it at least
Yes and No (Score:2, Informative)
Depends on what you do (Score:5, Insightful)
In the field I'm in, he'd be a liability. We do government stuff, relating to law enforcement, and while we're not a bunch of angels, we don't want any skeletons in our closet either.
wow... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:wow... (Score:2)
Depends... (Score:2, Interesting)
Sure; (caveat) (Score:3, Informative)
I wouldn't hire one (Score:5, Interesting)
On the other hand, I wouldn't consider these VBS writers "hackers". They are just glorified script kiddies. Don't reward that behavior.
Chris
Re:I wouldn't hire one (Score:4, Interesting)
The kid is a punk. He may always be a punk. Maybe some folks think it would be okay to hire him, but I bet most of the people who would give him a chance have never built a business themselves. When you've got this thing, this business that you've spent God knows how much time and effort building, why would you risk the whole thing by hiring a known punk? All the reasons I can think of--publicity, potential ability, altruism--fails the "will the baby eat tonight" test.
Publicity? Why not hire a well-known porn star to pose for photographs and post them daily to your web site. You'd get publicity and traffic and less risk. Ability? There's gobs of similarly talented nerds out there. If Slashdot is to judge, there's a glut of CS majors who were fired by GW Bush the same day he was inaugerated. Altruism? Give to Greenpeace.
The kid should be punted into a workhouse and made to do free tech support for the companies he harmed. Each company, in alphabetical order, until their damages have been paid back. I doubt he'd make it past the "B's" before croaking.
(A side note: Slashdotters always say that owning a tool that could be used for illegal activity is fine, and people should only be prosecuted if they use the tools for actual illegal activity. You're probably heard the litany in any random YRO article. Well, here's a punk kid who broke the law--let's see some fucking prosecution, eh?)
You mean a cracker, don't you? (Score:2)
Speeding, the offense of hardened criminals. (Score:2, Insightful)
I think if you've ever done any amount of prgramming, you've been there before, little mental masturbations of doing bad things to people to clever programming.
This is like refusing to hire someone because they got a speeding ticket, or downloaded music off of the internet.
definitely not (Score:5, Funny)
Re:definitely not (Score:4, Funny)
If they know a lot, and want to learn, then why no (Score:3, Interesting)
Sometimes the best way to learn about your enemy really is to contain them and see how they think. Who knows, maybe the security guys could find out enough to actually get an insight into how to properly go about proactively handling security threats posed by worms?
Re:If they know a lot, and want to learn, then why (Score:3)
The Sassar work exploited a hole in LSASS that Microsoft patched on 4/14, the worm itself was discovered in the wild some time later than that, around 5/1 as best I can remember.
The lesson? Keep you crap patched and you won't get as many worms. How can observing this guy give any insight into that?
Hackers and Hiring (Score:5, Interesting)
However, if the hack is an elegant piece of code, that does exactly and only what the author indended would be something I would consider.
Originality also would count. The creative nature of the hack would also weigh in. This prevents script kiddies from modifying existing hacks from the "application" for the job.
In otherwords, I would evaluate each hack and make judgements on the over all skill, novelty and execution of the hack, all skills needed for any programming job.
Re: (Score:2)
Think outside the box (Score:5, Insightful)
Note: I'm not saying that this chump is the best programmer around, I'm sure he's not. But if he's a great man for the job and can think of things that you and I won't, then I'm on.
Like Hiring Harold Shipman? (Score:2)
If it was like hiring Hannible Lecter, then I would probably say go for it, he has some great stories not to mention a few interesting recipes.
Of course, it would be important to keep your "petty torments" to a minimum.
myke
Short Answer: Maybe (Score:5, Insightful)
They commited a computer crime. That is a liability, not an asset. All in all their benefits as a skilled IT professional would have to outweigh their liabilities (being busted for a computer crime). It is a factor that goes into the equation. I would say that in most cases it would be enough to lean me towards not hiring them. I think its a pretty serious thing to hack someone elses system. There are PLENTY of ways to make a name for yourself in a white hat way. Writing papers, studying info sec and staying on top of the field and becoming a noted voice in the communities is one. Ultimately if you need negative publicity to be known (and or hired) your just being lazy
Jeremy
Make more worms? (Score:3, Interesting)
Akin to a serial killer - moronic statement. (Score:5, Insightful)
I can't believe that comment about hiring him being similar to hiring a serial killer as a doctor. The director that spoke that comment is an idiot.
Depends (Score:5, Insightful)
Is it someone who knows systems inside and out and enjoys toying with them? Then definitely yes.
Is it a script kiddie who just took someone elses work and capitalized on it? Definitely not.
The issue is not about elitism, it's about attitude, someone who has gone to the effort to learn something and apply it is in a whole different world than someone who is so socially mal-adjusted they feel the need to tweak the latest worm to say "I RULEZ" and sends it back out.
Not for that job! (Score:3, Insightful)
Would I hire a thief to manage my inventory?
Would I hire a sadist to manage my HR (Catbert obviously excluded)?
Would I hire a sex offender to babysit my children?
No.
Yes, they did pay their debt to society/do their time. I might hire them to do other things away from their area of conviction, but I'm not going to dangle temptation in front of their face. Does that seem like just straight common sense to anyone but me?
FAQ'ed and Answered already. (Score:3, Informative)
The Hacker FAQ [plethora.net].
I did hire a hacker! (Score:5, Informative)
Hell yeah (Score:2, Redundant)
I remember a day when /. newbies would be roasted for confusing the terms hacker and cracker - now the editors do it :-/
Nope. (Score:5, Interesting)
In the 1980s-1990s, you could pick up a copy of 2600 and read the code for a relatively complicated polymorphing boot sector virus -- complicated because it took a good knowledge of assembler, specific system calls, the boot process on a PC, etc., among other things. With a few tweaks, it would be slow-incubating, but deadly.
The internet has changed the way we deal with security, because no longer is the question "How clever is the virus?" so much as it is "How cautious is the user?" Example: the "Microsoft Office 2004 Beta" for Mac appeared on P2P networks a few months ago. When run, it deleted the contents of your user folder. Devastating, yes, but nothing I couldn't do myself without programming knowledge. So the 'virus' wasn't clever, tricky, or even unique in function, except for the method of delivery, which was social in nature -- not technical.
The same applies to security holes in your OS. Whether the hole should be patched is another discussion, but taking the obvious routes through those holes to bring down computers isn't particularly noteworthy. If everyone at my office has VNC installed without a password, and I go delete their My Documents folder at noon today, am I a hacker? No. I'm just a prick.
So when you ask, "would I hire a hacker?" Yes.
But when you ask, "would I hire someone who creates/uses something annoying and not that special; requiring a moderate level of programming skill if at all; that relies on the user to activate it or a major security flaw in the OS?" Absolutely not. These kids' salaries should be going to sociologists who can better analyze group behavior, and real coders, not scr1pt k1dd13z.
I get it now (Score:2)
Would I hire a cracker/hacker if I were in the market? No. There are equally skilled or more skilled (unemployed) programmers or security guys whose ethics and loyalty I can depend on.
I would not hire a hacker (Score:5, Interesting)
Do not hire Crackers (Score:2)
Anyway, NO. I would not hire a person responsible for such destruction for two really good reasons:
1. You can never be sure of their moral alignment no matter how much money you pay him
2. Doing so would provide additional incentive to people who want to add "I wrote Monkey.B" to his resume to get their next job.
It is a bad idea and sets a bad example for others.
Not just any hacker... (Score:2)
The problem with this analogy is that the doctor in question has not demonstrated extraordinary skills or aptitude in his chosen career and would not necessarily benefit the ailing mother.
The hacker, on the other hand, has clearly demonstrated skill (not a typical script kiddie), interest and aptitude in his (decidedly skewed) hobby.
So it's not a question of hiring *just*
Depends (Score:4, Insightful)
Would I hire com Adrian Lamo? Yeah.
It depends a lot on the intent of the attack and what was done once it was successful. Also on the personal morals of the individual.
Is it that hard to write a virus? (Score:2)
PR (Score:2)
Would I spend 1 programmer year salary to get my company's name plastered on the news across the world? Yeah, I'd wager that's a great deal.
Sure, why not (Score:2)
Stupid CIOs (Score:4, Funny)
Being that Shipman is dead, it would be really stupid to hire him for anything.
LK
No, it is all about trust. (Score:3, Insightful)
Reminds me of days gone by (Score:3, Interesting)
Nope (Score:4, Insightful)
Hire him! Hire him! (Score:3, Funny)
He'd openly, and seemingly without shame, listed all his spammer tools on his CV (resume for you over-the-pond types)
I desperately tried to get the guy doing the recruiting to hire him, just so I'd get an opportunity to beat the shit out of the filthy bastard.
Good Hacker Hiring FAQ (Score:3, Interesting)
Just how fucking insane is our society anyway? (Score:5, Insightful)
This kind of fanatic mentality, where a stupid fucking computer (or a song or movie on the internet) becomes more valuable than people's lives, is a sad testament to the state of our society.
You think I'm over the top? Why is it that people who download songs from the internet get punished harder than the executives of corrupt and failing corporations?
If you give someone a chance, after he or she has messed up, especially as a teen, they might or might not do something useful with their lives. But if you dismiss them outright, you are condemning them for the rest of their lives.
Way to go fuckers.
Re:Just how fucking insane is our society anyway? (Score:3, Insightful)
Why is he qualified? (Score:4, Interesting)
Why on earth should we assume that someone who can break security has the slightest knowledge of how to fix security? I can break regular glass with a rock, but have no clue how to make shatter-proof glass.
Keeping to computer security: Say a particular system has 5000 current, undiscovered ways of being broken into (or just broken). Breaking into it requires finding one of them. But you have to find 2500 of them just to have a 50% chance of finding the one the hack.. err... cracker finds. If a typical passibly decent hacker can find 5 holes, he'd have over a 95% chance of finding one of the ones the security team, that found 2500, missed.
Yes, I wouldn't hire a computer criminal because of his ethical problems. I also wouldn't hire him because if he actually thinks that breaking into a system makes him qualified to work securing systems, he clearly knows nothing about securing systems.
Re:Why is he qualified? (Score:3, Informative)
Sure, but some companies actually have more than one employee.
They might have one guy who designs locks, and a SEPERATE PERSON who tries to break them.
While a theif might not know how to design a lock, he could still be perfectly suited for a job as a tester.
A matter of hiring the fox to guard the chickens (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm a big believer in second chances and turning over leaves, but we are talking about a person who has demonstrated a weakness of moral fiber.
Whether or not the individual is good(skillwise) or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is how one goes about redeeming themselves in the eyes of the community.
I suppose it comes down to your company's comfort level. It is alot like the transition homes where families take in young ex-criminals to help give them a second chance. Sometimes, you honestly see great things come from second chances. Other times, you get a family who is robbed by the one they entrusted.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to write a replicating piece of code. It doesn't take alot of brains to take an existing one and modify it either.
Which brings one to wonder why hire someone whose only done these things?
The only apparent benefit is to use him to get at other virii writers through association online and by monitoring his access and communications. By hiring him, they increase his profile and will likely draw the attention of script kiddies who will get caught by the firm.
Otherwise, such a hire only risks stock prices and makes the company liable for future damages.
stuff that matters (Score:3, Insightful)
Would I hire a hacker? The answer is absolutely; hire someone who learns on their own without some instructor holding their hand.
Hackers have the best problem solveing, and deductive reasoning skills of anyone in the IT industry not to mention attention to detail. One could only be so lucky to have one on staff (and you probably do).
Don't get me wrong, there are definitly milicious hackers (crackers) who find joy in compromising, stealing, and destroying systems and networks, but to be honest, most of them do not get cought, and if they do, one needs to wonder, how good are they anyway if they got cought.
a double-standard (Score:3, Insightful)
So I guess the message here is that you can't afford to compromise when it comes to hiring IT staff, but you don't have to be nearly as selective when voting in members of the legislative branch of your government.
This'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic.
(You can google the criminal records of your Congressmen rather easily on your own, so there's no need for a link - do it yourself. You may find the results enlightening. Or not. This is slashdot, after all.)
Max
Re:Probably not (Score:2)
Re:My employer does... (Score:5, Funny)
mmm honey
I give up, what sort of stuff do you do at National Endowment for the Arts?
Re:My employer does... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:My employer does... (Score:5, Interesting)
Move along, certainly nothing to see here. BTW I second the post that the Mod's are gullible today. Of all days that I have no points.
Can you get me Charlton Heston's Signature? (Score:4, Funny)
Hmmm, how many other organizations start with "N" and end in "A" that have nothing to do with computers?
myke