- But new pressures, especially for those who attend Defcon, seem to be reshaping the community’s attitudes toward privacy and anonymity. Many longtime hackers, like Ms. Sell and Mr. Wyler, have been drawn into the open by corporate demands, or have traded their anonymity for public roles as high-level cybersecurity experts. Others alluded to the ways in which a widespread professionalization and gamification of the hacking world — as evidenced by so-called bug bounty programs offered by companies like Facebook and Google, which pay (often handsomely) for hackers to hunt for and disclose cybersecurity gaps on their many platforms — have legitimized certain elements of the culture.
I think a hacker would be more qualified to head cybersecurity team than someone who has never used a computer once in his life, right? cough-Japanese-new-cybersecurity-minister-cough. I wonder how long it will take for them to hack into Japan's system? It probably won't take them that long.
Agreed. What hubris to believe that someone without the skills and training could do a quality job. Unless they're working for some collective organization with a twisted agenda these folks may be the X-men of the internet. I'm taking my car to a mechanic when it starts to have engine issues, not my local politician. If I've got an organization hacking problems, I'm hiring the best hackers available.The hackers, members of a collective called L0pht (pronounced “loft”), had recently boasted that they could shut down the internet in 30 minutes, and lawmakers had taken notice.
Exactly. And with everything that's going on, the government should hire a kickass hacker to man the cybersecurity department. If a group of Chinese hackers managed to infiltrate US companies that easily, then what better way to combat them than with your own team of hackers. Especially with China on the brink of starting all out war should things didn't go their way, we could be sitting ducks once China starts attacking... and I don't think Japan will survive either.
Stay golden, P0wnyb0y. I waited a bit to respond, simply because this article is a lot to digest. Feds outing each other? A relaxed atmosphere? Makes it feel more interested to attend. Maybe that will be the goal for 2020.