Would You Hire a Former Black Hat?

He noted that there are currently many former black hats who are "really, really smart" and "with a bit of nurturing and guidance", were able to transform into good security researchers... "But all other things being equal, I'm not sure if I would hire someone who acquired the knowledge without having acquired it legally," Ducklin said... Mark Bregman, Symantec's senior vice president and chief evangelist, does not believe in hiring former black hat hackers or the equivalent, even if they are or claim to have reformed.

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