CRAIG FORD Cyber Enthusiast, Ethical Hacker, Author of A hacker I am vol1 & vol2
C O L U M N
Hackers are not who you think they are We all know what hackers are, right? Those hooded mysterious creatures of the night who hang out in dark rooms doing ungodly things to poor unsuspecting victims, with what looks like matrix code running down their screens. They are all bad people who should be hunted down and rounded up, shouldn’t they? That whole picture is completely wrong, and it has been my aim for many years to try and remove that stigma. Hackers are not the bad guys, they are not
I know I am making fun of this whole situation, but I
criminals. Many of them are the good guys trying
want to make a real point here. Hackers are not the
to stop the cyberwar from spilling over into the
bad guys. In fact, they are more likely to be the good
mainstream for all to see. Your neighbour could be
guys and girls trying to save your bacon. So if you can
a hacker. Someone in your family could be a hacker.
help change their image in your organisation, do it.
You could be a hacker.
Change the narrative, help me get the idea of hacker
I am a hacker. I am also called a cybersecurity professional, pentester, or sometimes just Craig. I don’t wear a hoodie, but on many occasions you will
as criminal eradicated, and call out the real criminals. Whether on the internet or in the real world, crime is still a crime. Go dispel the mystique surrounding hackers, and reveal them for what they really are.
see me in a business suit, or some form of business attire. I work for Baidam (an indigenous cybersecurity solutions provider), so you might even see me getting around in some cool company-branded polos with
www.linkedin.com/in/craig-ford-cybersecurity www.amazon.com/Craig-Ford/e/B07XNMMV8R
amazing indigenous artwork on them, but never a hoodie.
www.facebook.com/pg/AHackerIam/
I, like many hackers, never hang out in those dingy
twitter.com/CraigFord_Cyber
rooms, honestly. I wear glasses while working on the computer most of the time these days. My eyes certainly aren’t as good as they used to be and I don’t think working in the dark with the damaging blue light from the screens would do anything good for them. WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE
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