This is Part II of a two-part series based on my TEDx talk, “Hackers Wanted.”  (See Part I here)

Part II: Next-Gen Hackers

To solve today’s cyber problems, we need to build the next generation of hackers; young and old.

This is what I mean by Hackers Wanted; getting people into cybersecurity and IT careers, as well as stopping the bad guys. It starts with our kids. By encouraging kids hacking skills, we give them real learning opportunities about their world and about technology.  

Today’s kids are tech natives using computers as soon as they can move. But do they really know how it works? It’s like we know how to drive our cars, but do we know how the engine, brakes, cooling systems work? We’ve got auto mechanics. What we need are more cyber mechanics. Cars have gotten safer, but we have a ways to go with computers. We don’t have airbags on ‘em, yet.

Think about your smartphone. How many ways does this have of communicating?

• One way is with our applications. What apps do you use? Facebook, Insta, Twitter, Whatsap, Snap, Slack, Skype/IM, Text and sometimes we may even use it to speak to someone…
• On the technical side, we have Cell (3G/4G/5G), WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, Screen, microphone, connected with a wire. Wow $Cussword, that’s a lot. All these ways into our lives we need to protect.

So many of us use technology and have little idea how to keep it working safely, securely, and efficiently.

Rather than telling kids to put away their phones, tell ‘em to get them out and learn how they really work, not just how to use them.

To do this, we need to get into the schools teaching IT, cybersecurity and, yes, even hacking.

3 T's to Building Next-Gen Hackers

I propose a 3-step plan with 3 T’s: Teachers, Technology, and Technique.

1. Teachers – Supplement with Professional Mentors

They already have so much on their plates. We can’t (and shouldn’t) expect them to know everything. That’s where folks like me come in: cyber mentors helping out in the classrooms, partnering with teachers, sharing our knowledge and helping to build our next generation of cyber professionals.

Now I’m often asked about ethics and hacking, ‘cause of the evil things we could do. Well,professional mentors also help kids stay on the side of good and keep them out of the orange jumpsuit even if it’s the new black.

Let me tell you about Bryce, a young high school freshman eager to join his school’s cybersecurity competition club where I helped as a mentor. On the first day his teacher came to me. “I’m not sure if Bryce would be good for the club. He was suspended for hacking his classmate’s email.” Yessss. Perfect. Just the students we want. He gets technology and just needed some direction. For the next four years, I kept an eye on Bryce making sure he stayed on the side of good. Today, he’s serving in the US Army as an IT & cybersecurity specialist (or he was when I originally wrote this).

We need mentors to augment teachers and help in schools. Many professional organizations like (ISC)2, ISACA, ISSA and SANS support this as a way for members to build their CPEs by volunteering in their community.

2. Technology – Two, kids need tech to play on; a safe online place to learn.

A playground if you will. Give them a computer of their own where if they break it, no harm done. Actually, it’s the opposite, we want them to break it. If they do, it’s great learning opportunity on how to fix it.

Another example from my mentoring: Once during a cyber competition, a young gent got a computer virus on his PC. He panicked thinking he was in trouble. Nah. Ya make a mess, ya clean it up. Together, he and I figured out how to neutralize it and learned a ton. Bet you never thought getting a virus could be a good thing?

We need to give kids a protected place for them to safely fail as they learn about computers, cyber and IT. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

Many businesses are donating computers and networking devices; new ones through grants or even old ones they no longer need. You can do this too.

How many of you have an old computer sitting in your garage that could be donated?

There are many other ways to inexpensively connect kids and computers like virtualization, Raspberry Pi’s and Aduino’s.

When kids have their own technology knowing they’re responsible for it, we give them control and confidence in the learning process. To break and fix and learn…

3. Technique – Showing the way

To help build our next generation of IT & Cyber professionals, we need to show them proper technique. To do this, we make it (IT) fun, through cybersecurity clubs, camps and competitions. It’s a way of building technique using games as a part of learning.

There are many free resources for this, such as Hacker High School (http://www.hackerhighschool.org/) and Cyber Patriot (https://www.uscyberpatriot.org/). Please share others in the comments.

We’re also doing this with cyber competitions, otherwise known as CTF’s – Capture the Flags. They are like a digital scavenger hunt where competitors search for cyber flags using multiple technologies, programming languages and even hacking techniques. The more flags they find, the better they do. Competitors get real-world hands-on experience ready to use in the workforce and have a blast doing it.

As a cyber mentor for over 10 years, I’ve found that kids take to it like ducklings to water; learning social skills like teamwork and organization along with technical and troubleshooting skills. How to creatively solve problems and apply their ingenuity. IOW, they learn to be hackers, the good kind.

That’s why I say Hackers Wanted. Making cybersecurity accessible to all, no matter your age, race, gender, social status, whatever....

Together we can solve today’s cyber issues. It comes down to education.

Educating ourselves about technology, online safety and security. Educating others. Education is the sunlight that breaks through the cloud of uncertainty.

To do this, WE NEED A HACKER REVOLUTION - Encouraging curiosity, tenacity and a willingness to make mistakes. All good hacker traits.

So yeah: I’m a nerd, a geek, a techie, a hacker trying to enlist more nerds, geeks, techies and hackers to be mentors, find technology for kids, and take part in cyber competitions.

Consider this: The bank account you save may be your own.

The world just needs more hackers.

Who’s in?