U.S. Government Hankers For Hackers

Reuters: Among the thousands of attendees at this week’s Defcon hacker convention in Las Vegas will be representatives from a variety of federal agencies, including DOD, DHS, NASA and NSA, who are looking to recruit new “cyberwarriors.” “Today it’s cyber warriors that we’re looking for, not rocket scientists,” said the NSA’s Richard “Dickie” George. His agency plans to hire 1,500 people this year and 1,500 next year, primarily cyber experts.

George said that he expects most hackers at the convention would fit right in with many of the people the NSA already employs. “When I walk down the hall there are people that I see every day and I never know what color their hair’s going to be,” George said. “And it’s a bonus if they’re wearing shoes. We’ve been in some sense a collection of geeks for a long, long time.”