HACKERS: Uncle Sam wants YOU

Uncle Sam Wants you

skimmed it and seems interesting, unsure of any potential leads though.

Yes, I do realize the irony of my avatar wearing a "Black Hat", its pure coincidence

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Comments

jamesp1983

very interesting article. i don't foresee many hackers helping the government though...

snadam

jimmypizzle83 wrote:

very interesting article. i don't foresee many hackers helping the government though...

me neither, but hey its worth a shot right?

jbaello

Most hackers are gangsta one of em is in jail for locking one of SF network

Tech109

The government and military have some very smart people working for them. Anyone who can land a job in this capacity would gain a lot of excellent experience. Talk about enterprise networks - military networks are huge homogenous networks where security is generally the main focus.

empc4000xl

Tech109 wrote:

The government and military have some very smart people working for them. Anyone who can land a job in this capacity would gain a lot of excellent experience. Talk about enterprise networks - military networks are huge homogenous networks where security is generally the main focus.

Rikku

The government and military have some very smart people working for them. Anyone who can land a job in this capacity would gain a lot of excellent experience.

But, unless you already work (or have worked) for the military you have to get security clearance and isnt that a bear wrestle to get the clearance anyway? I don't think you can simply apply to get the clearance through the government, I heard it is as hard as hell to get..even without a criminal or questionable background. (Even though our military is sending people to IRAQ with past records with all the waivers they issue...

)

-Rikku

goforthbmerry

Unless you have criminal or some other prohibiting factor, a clearance is only hard to get because they are costly. They have to spend several thousand dollars to do even a minimal check. They will not do one unless they are sure they want you. If they can find someone who already has or even had a clearance... so much the easier (and less costly) for them.

I believe this is correct. I worked in S-4 and my buddies worked in S-2 (security) where they requested and verified the security clearances while I was in the Army. Things may be different now post 9/11

Kaminsky

It is a general rule of thumb that when you see a job stating "willing to undergo security clearance", if you haven't already got it, you won't get a look in.

Kam.

the_Grinch

t is a general rule of thumb that when you see a job stating "willing to undergo security clearance", if you haven't already got it, you won't get a look in.

If your talking about private contractors then I would agree with you statement. But the government is a entirely different beast when they say "willing to undergo security clearance". I find the title of this article a little misleading though. The government may be at these events, but I'd venture to say they are more after the security researchers and private sector security experts then they are after the everyday hacker. Anyone they'd offer a job would still submit to the same standards of background checks, education or experience requirements, etc. Wonder how many undercover Feds they will catch this year in "Spot the Fed". ha

darkerosxx

the_Grinch wrote:

t is a general rule of thumb that when you see a job stating "willing to undergo security clearance", if you haven't already got it, you won't get a look in.

If your talking about private contractors then I would agree with you statement. But the government is a entirely different beast when they say "willing to undergo security clearance". I find the title of this article a little misleading though. The government may be at these events, but I'd venture to say they are more after the security researchers and private sector security experts then they are after the everyday hacker. Anyone they'd offer a job would still submit to the same standards of background checks, education or experience requirements, etc. Wonder how many undercover Feds they will catch this year in "Spot the Fed". ha

Actually, I think it's a counter to what the chinese are doing. They want groups of people with no real connection to them to do their bidding for cash.

JDMurray

At Defcon 16, I attended the "Meet the Feds 2008" panel discussion. There were representatives from the FBI, NSA, NCIS, RCMP, IRS, DHS, NASA OIG, USCERT, DC3 (DoD Cyber Crime Center), the Air Force Cyber Command, and several others. Although there was no active recruiting from the panel, there was considerable interest from the audience about how one starts an InfoSec career with the US Federal Government, or with "Fed-like" agencies, such as the IRS, USPS, and NASA.

A fundamental point was that the ability to obtain a security clearance is paramount. And the first requirement for a clearance is "no felony convictions." An arrest record doesn't mean no Fed career, but having felonies is pretty much an indication that you will only be working for the private sector--and probably not for any financial organizations.

Another point was that many people do not get jobs immediately with the Feds, but instead start work as contractors and are asked to join a department after showing an exceptional work record. Many contractors, however, choose not to take a government job (including with the DoD) because such jobs don't pay very well. Instead, you often see people leaving Fed employment for the higher-paying jobs in the private sector.

It was also pressed that you do not need to be a member of the Feds to fight Cybercrime. The FBI has 56 offices in the USA, any one of which will take a report of suspected cybercrime. You may never know the results of your report, but by reporting to the FBI you will have done your best to fight crime and misuse of the Internet.

Finally, the Web site USA.gov is a major source of Federal job listings. States and counties also maintain their own job Web sites that have InfoSec-related job listings.

Kasor

Sound like a ideal job for the outsider and without trace back to the Govn't