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Should You Hire a Hacker?

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the old-tricks-or-fresh-starts dept.

fabioj writes "Business Week has an article about today's debate at the RSA Security Conference held at the Moscone Center attended by Kevin Mitnick and his 1995 trial prosecutor, Christopher Painter. Interesting to note that Painter doesn't see Kevin Mitnick's experiences as a deterrent for the 'up-and-coming technology workforce' to criminally hack."

6 of 647 comments (clear)

  1. catch me if you can by SethJohnson · · Score: 4, Funny


    I don't think Mitnick is such a good representative for this issue. Probably a better example of 'hacker' turned security expert is that guy who the 'Catch me if You Can' movie is based on ( Frank Abgnale). The FBI sprung him from jail in order for him to help them combat check fraud. Apparently, he's now responsible for designing many of the anti-counterfitting mechanisms built into our checks even today.
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  2. Re:Both sides of the story by teamhasnoi · · Score: 4, Funny
    And a convicted (now reformed) pedophile might know a lot about taking care of kids. I still wouldn't hire them to run daycare.

    What!? And miss out on that one-on-one attention?

    Let it be known across the lands that this man has said loudly what we all have feared! Hacking is like having sex with kids! Beware! Begone!

  3. Rant Redux by limekiller4 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't know if I should hire a hacker but I do know that Slashdot should hire a copy editor.

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    My .02,
    Limekiller
    1. Re:Rant Redux by SmartGamer · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think they do. It seems that all the articles are copied from yesterday.

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      Warning: Poster of this comment is a nerd. Just like everybody else here.
  4. Not really a repeat... but kinda by poppen_fresh · · Score: 4, Funny

    This isn't a repeat of the earlier /. post. That one linked to security focus and this one links to business week. But the business week article is just a reprint of the security focus article...

  5. Sounds Like He is Management Material by yintercept · · Score: 4, Funny

    I for one as a honest person am tired of hearing about this frickin criminal! Yes! Criminal!

    Sounds like this Mitnick guy is management material. Criminal action shows initiative. It shows that he will do what it takes to get ahead.

    Most of our society looks at the criminal as a superior form of being not tied to the conventionalities of the honest man (ie peasant). But there is a big problem with that getting caught thing. If he was a criminal who hadn't been caught...well, there is there is no end to how far he could go in the American corporate structure.

    Who knows, he could have been CEO? I suspect most CEOs have done far worse things than Kevin Mittnick on their back stabbing drives for power. Unfortunately, there is a gentleman's agreement on being caught, tried and covicted.

    Hiring a felon might get people looking closer at what companies actually do, and how the insiders funnel off profits. It would be far too risky to hire the man.