Cyber Security Recruiting At Hackers Convention

Know your enemy. This law enforcement truism can lead investigators down strange paths. Now, government cyber security specialists are hiring from the ranks of proven Internet miscreants in order to get an insider's eye on cyber crime.

According to Reuters, government agencies involved in cyber security are recruiting directly at hackers conferences to scout talent and to vaunt a career in cyber security.

"If you want to work on cutting-edge problems, if you want to be part of the truly great issues of our time . . . we invite you to work with us," Assistant Defense Secretary Linton Wells told hackers at a recent conference in Las Vegas.

Hacking As Cyber Security Training
Wells and other federal officials were more than slightly out of place at Defcon, an annual gathering of computer security specialists and Internet troublemakers that celebrates the cutting edge of cyber security research.

Defcon, was named as a spoof on the Pentagon's code for military readiness, derived from "defense condition." It became part of pop lexicon over twenty years ago with the release of the film "War Games," starring Matthew Broderick.

Learning Cyber Internet Security
Defcon is an unruly conference. Graffiti covers the bathroom walls, DJs spin techno music, and hackers win free T-shirts if they successfully who "out" an undercover government employee.

Yet despite the rebelliousness, hackers and the government have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship.

It was federal money that funded development of the Internet and many other cutting-edge technologies. And many hackers first learn the ins and outs of computer security through their military service before getting private-sector jobs. In some cases, college computer security majors can have their tuition picked up by the government if they agree to work there when they graduate.

Defcon And Cyber Security Training
Federal agents have always been a key part of the Defcon audience, though, not surprisingly, they stay at off-site hotels to avoid some of the wilder goings-on.

Sources
Reuters