Slashdot Mirror
Interviews: Ask Reuben Paul What Hackers Can Learn From an 8-Year-Old
Reuben A. Paul, aka RAPstar, has something of a head-start when it comes to learning about computer security: his father, Mano Paul, has been a security researcher (and instructor) for many years. So Reuben grew up around computers, seeing firsthand that they're neither mysterious nor impregnable.
Reuben, though, has a curious mind and his own computer security interests, and a knack for telling others about them; last month, he became the youngest-ever speaker at DerbyCon, and explained some of what he's picked up so far on what kids can learn about security, as well as what the security field can learn from kids. (One hard to dispute nugget: "Kids are the best social engineers, followed by puppies.")
Ask of Reuben whatever you'd like, below (please, one question per post), and we'll get answers to selected questions when we catch up with him at next week's Houston Security Conference. (This year's conference is sold out, but there's always 2015.)
Reuben, have you ever been...in a Turkish prison?
LOL, I thought for a moment we were having an interview with Pee Wee Herman/Paul Reubens.
Do you get tired of that? :-P
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Do you think robots will take all of our jobs? If so, how do you think society should handle the masses of unemployed?
OK, so since it seems no one else knows who RAPstar or Mano Paul is either, let's go with this dumb question: what's your favorite Pokemon?
Actually, I think I can turn this into something vaguely on topic since someone managed to do a TAS of Pokemon Yellow that manages to run arbitrary code, ultimately calculating pi to several digits.
So have you ever found an exploit in a game or something and used it to your advantage? Or what's the coolest, unintentional behavior you've done with a computer program?
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
Is security what you find most interesting in computing, or is there another area that interests you more? If security is what interests you most, what is it about security in particular you like?
I ask because it seems natural (as someone who was your age in the 1970s) that young people would either be interested in development programming (as I was) or games (which I sort of was).
(My apologies if you answered this in your talk, which I'm only just getting around to watching.)
blog
Have you ever one-upped an adult who condescended to you or greatly underestimated your technical understanding? What happened?
blog
Have you ever been bullied by people your age and, if so, how did you deal with it? (If you don't mind, please share what the matter was.)
blog
What are your thoughts about the US government's efforts (apocryphal and confirmed) to surveil nearly all Internet systems and traffic and how such efforts affect security?
blog
The whole domain of computer security is very serious and, well, I'm also wondering what kinds of things do you like to do that's just kid stuff that's not directly related to computing? You know, like riding a bicycle, going on hikes, playing tag (not trying to patronize as these are things I did when I was 8).
(This is the last question I will post in this thread. Thanks for considering.)
blog
Amen.
Walked into the living room one day to see my 3 year old running a program on the windows log in screen! I've since looked it up, and it's possible. So much for my preconceptions.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
Hi! It's great you're curious and not afraid to (what other people would disparagingly call shoot your mouth off ) tell us about what you've found interesting. The world needs people who find the world interesting. Like Richard Feynman who was one of those ace boffins who found everything interesting and tried to make all of us interested in 'being interested'. (I particularly like the craft he used in his lecture 'cargo cult science' to draw us into his way of thinking.) But if I asked you, say, "What's interesting about bed' would you say nothing? There are dozens of questions to be asked, some of which may have been answered but it's the curious mind that wonders simple things like why are beds raised off the ground and what sort of bedclothes and why we might change into specialist nightwear? From what's the smallest uninteresting number to what's the economic impact of being able to identify a protozoa in the salivary glands of a particular species of mosquito we need inquisitive people without narrow vision. So here is my question. Are you a fanatical specialist or a sponge for all the world's knowledge?