Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone has an advice or thoughts about getting a job in computer security with a criminal record.
Specifically, I have two federal misdemeanor convictions for unauthorized computer use related to a dumb attempt I made to leak Trump's taxes right before the 2016 election (back when I was a lot more hot-headed and politically motivated -- I certainly wouldn't do anything dumb or illegal like that today). I've since completed all the community service and probation. The actual hack wasn't all that technical, aside from a 0-day in Windows I had discovered that let me create admin accounts on my college's lab computers. For context, you can read more about the overall attempt here.
Since then, I've kept my nose clean and have continued to study computer security-related stuff in school. I have an BS in math, a BA in Russian, and a Master's of Science in machine learning and signals processing. Almost every time I've gotten to choose a project in my schooling, I've picked a topic that relates back to security/privacy, from cryptography and hacking smart locks, to using adversarial/malicious ML tools for everything from voice spoofing to captcha cracking. Where applicable, I've also done my best to make ethical disclosures. At this point in life, I very much consider myself in the white hat camp.
The reason I'm writing this is because I was recently denied a position that really excited me with a technical consulting firm after my background came up. This was despite the fact that their assistant director of cloud security was the one advocating for me. I was told by a few people in the industry that because of my record I'll never be able to get a job in the field. I'm feeling pretty disheartened and am wondering if it's time for me to switch gears again. What do you all think? Is there still some way I can combine my passions for machine learning and computer security and get paid to do it? Does anyone have any suggestions of places I might apply to?
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from hacking: security in practice https://ift.tt/bYT0G7Q
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