Some hackers start their careers as children, when their passion for computer games turns into an interest in programming. Young enthusiasts are eager to understand how game mechanics and codes work in order to hack the game and get “cheats”. Over time, young hackers develop analytical thinking and technical skills by learning how to bypass security systems. Some of them are moving on to more serious cybersecurity tasks, becoming ethical hackers or information security specialists.
In this article, we share an interview with one of these specialists. Meet Jason Haddix!
And if your child is also into technology, we invite them to Progkids!
How long have you been in this field?
I've been testing security for 15 years and hacking for 17 years.
How did you start your hacker journey?
I started with a strong desire to “cheat” in games, like many of my other “colleagues”. I wanted to see how this was possible. Yes, I craved knowledge and looked for it everywhere. I wanted to own every piece of information I found and didn't even think that all this would ever be useful to me in my profession. I've always believed that knowledge is a real power.
When you're not at the keyboard and you're not hacking, where are you?
I'm a father of three. So I usually spend time with my family doing things together. For example, I'm attending school or my youngest child's sporting events.
I became a father pretty early and I think it allowed me and the kids to be friends. We're playing video games, watching anime. My kids are also passionate about technology, which is in line with my interests. And that's great!
The rest of my free time is spent playing games. I'm a fanatical gamer and I work in the gaming industry. I'm thankful to hacking as a career and gaming for keeping me from taking the worst paths I could take.
What are the worst ways to go?
When you learn to hack, it's addictive. You're beginning to realize that you have power over other people's systems. It makes you feel like a superhero with power. And if you're in bad company at this point, you might take a wrong turn.
When people hear the word hacker, they imagine a cybercriminal who can break into any system. However, a hacker is primarily a top-level programmer. And he himself needs to choose whether he will use his knowledge for good or not.
What does the hacker image include?
Everyone has their own idea, but first of all, we need to talk about this person's way of thinking. He's hyper-curious! The guy will beat his head against the wall until he gets the result. That's not what movies show, but that's what all hackers have. The characters on the screen sit at the keyboard and instantly get root access. However, in reality, a hacker can spend more than one week doing this.
I would also add that most of us are just nerds. We have a lot of unusual interests. For example, some of my hacker friends study history, are interested in ancient pyramids, or are fascinated by aliens.
Personally, I love playing games but I also enjoy rave culture. We're all very different and have a lot of interests.
What advice would you give to beginning programmers?
Do what you want to do, especially if you're sure you can dedicate your whole life to it!
The interview materials were available here: https://www.hackerone.com/hackerone-community-blog/hacker-afk-jason-haddix
Does your child want to be a programmer too? Then write it down to free trial lesson at Progkids! We know more and more about computer technology!
