U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seduces Young IT Geniuses

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In an article published in the New York Times, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Ms. Janet Napolitano, said that she is aware of the problem she is facing today, a problem that only gets worse. She says that foreign hackers have been attacking the computer systems of the Department, trying to draw out valuable trade secrets and to dig into the nation’s infrastructure, such as power grids, water and transportation. Ms. Napolitano said that the agency has a shortage of about 600 hackers, but recruiting is not easy because these capable young men generally prefer to apply to the business sector and not to government agencies, where the work is characterized by a defensive strategy.

“We need to show these young people, some cool, exciting and important work in the department”, says Ed Skoudis, one of the leading computer security instructors at the Department of Homeland Security.  “We need to start a relationship with them at a young age (seventeen, eighteen), get them involved and make them look at the subject as a game, even a competition”.

Indeed, the Departments young recruits won the first places this month in the Cyber ​​Challenge Cup Competition of the Governor of Virginia. Young hackers also participate in military exercises that give them a sense of participation in a video game. Another computer expert at the agency, Mr. Paller, compared the lack of hackers in the agency to the shortage of fighter pilots that occurred during World War II, no less.