Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 158 posts

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#31

Post by ttGpN5Nde3pK »

pre-apologize if you are looking to move beyond your past and I completely understand/please disregard my suggestion if that is the case... but tbh you sound like an ideal candidate to market _you_ as a brand. I'd keep doing bb and contact the platforms you are working on with your story. bb seems to be all about telling the story of how they can help people move out of doing things illegally and still make great money.

There are also a lot of podcasts/etc that would be happy to have you tell your story. Huge upside to that IMO with reach and sharing to help keep future people out of trouble.

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#32

Post by Cullinet »

straight up I have something UK based that I can propose that might get you set up as a independent consulting business timescale early this summer, might even know the right people for your situation as long as you are groovy with learning along the way with some steep curves. email address to reach me in my profile in a mo.. Very best luck with everything don't let 'em get you down!

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#33

Post by high_byte »

dude why don't you just continue working on bug bounties? #11 should be able to make 6 figures easy, probably 7 figures a year in bug bounties.

if maybe that's not your thing and you want "a job" I'm sure many people will be willing to help, me included. feel free to contact me on Twitter @high_byte

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#34

Post by bladegash »

inetknght wrote: post #4

> I'm not particularly talented Stop telling yourself that. You wouldn't be #11 out of 25,000 if you weren't talented. As long as you're open about your past and convictions, and your legal standing permits employment doing the work you'd do, then there's nothing stopping you from applying. When you see a job posting then look at what the requirements are. If you fit more than half then you should apply. The things y…

“As long as you're open about your past and convictions”

100% this. We had someone who hid that he was previously gone to prison for robbing banks. He used his dad’s SSN and slipped through the cracks. He was terminated immediately when a girl who was mad at him called our company to let us know to get back at him.

You can’t know for sure if people will look past your history, but I can guarantee you don’t want to hide it and have them find out later or someone hold it over your head.

The place that is meant for you will be the one where you are accepted for who you are.

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#36

Post by huhtenberg »

lordnacho wrote: post #29

Your issue is not competence, nobody will doubt that you are capable. What you need is to show people that you're not going to cause trouble for them, which is more of a social skill that you demonstrate at the interview. Try to acknowledge that you did something bad, don't use words that diminish it, and try to explain that you want to move on and you now want to be a positive force. There's going to be some natural…

Yep, the main hurdle here is the need for the OP to demonstrate that they left past ethics fully and firmly behind.

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#37

Post by denton-scratch »

rafale wrote: post #25

Hacking is one thing. I understand the technical thrill. But blackmail and fraud? That's a human-to-human interaction, not human-to-machine. Once a person cross that line where you are harming another person at that level, there is no going back.

With blackmail and fraud convictions (and a 3-year prison sentence behind you), I would hope that nobody would give you a job with access to systems that enable you to get at personal information or money. That's their business, of course; but they'd presumably be exposed to an action for negligence if something went wrong as a result of them employing someone with that record.

Blackmail and fraud are both offences that involve using others as means to ends, and require the ability to discount the damage and pain you cause to others. If I were hiring a coder (let alone a computer security consultant) I'd search for a long time before hiring someone with a record of that kind of untrustworthy behaviour.

Sorry to be blunt; I know that some companies pay good money to convicted criminal hackers for their expertise. But I think that's a deplorable practice; it encourages the view that hacking/cracking, blackmail and fraud are a sensible route into regular employment. I think those convictions should be a blocker.

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#38

Post by JohnBooty » 

    I can't just walk into employment with my skillset 
    because I'm not particularly talented
Maybe in the world of cybersecurity where a lot of the talent is (from my outside perspective) pretty top end.

For most tech industry jobs, you'll be way overqualified and the rest of the team will be in awe.

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#39

Post by eli »

Many states and cities in the US have so-called "ban the box" laws that prohibit employers from asking about your criminal history during the initial hiring process or sometimes until a job offer has been made.

Explaining why you have a criminal record is going to be a lot easier to someone who already thinks they want to hire you.

Re: Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

#40

Post by samwillis »

ttGpN5Nde3pK wrote: post #31

pre-apologize if you are looking to move beyond your past and I completely understand/please disregard my suggestion if that is the case... but tbh you sound like an ideal candidate to market _you_ as a brand. I'd keep doing bb and contact the platforms you are working on with your story. bb seems to be all about telling the story of how they can help people move out of doing things illegally and still make great mon…

I may be wrong but if he is who I think he is I suspect he may want to keep a lower profile due to the nature of the convictions. I suspect in his case shouting “hey, I did x” loudly on blogs and podcasts may be detrimental.

I truly believe people should be forgiven for past deeds and given the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure he will find good employment and I hope he has a good career in the security industry. He clearly knows his stuff.

Post reply on HN