How to Hack Government Computers, Legally

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By David Sarokin
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Lots of Government Jobs in Cybersecurity

The U.S. government is on the lookout for the world's baddest hackers. Some, they want to arrest. Other hackers, they want to hire. As cybersecurity becomes an ever-larger concern, the government is looking to hire so-called ethical hackers, who can 'think like the bad guys'. If this sounds like an intriguing challenge, where's how to get a job hacking government systems.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

IT skills as a computer hacker

Step 1

**Get Some Context**

A search on the term 'ethical hacker' will give you a good quick overview of the field.

The US government is actively putting into place plans for cybersecurity, to make their computer and internet systems less vulnerable to attack, and more able to recover with minimal disruption. This is not just a task for security services, like the Department of Defense, the FBI, or Homeland Security. All major departments, from Social Security to Veterans' Affairs, are growing their cybersecurity operations.

Some agencies are hiring directly. Others are bringing on expertise through contractors (in other words, it is the private sector contractors doing the hiring).
Step 2

**Check USAJobs**

The official government website for job opportunities is www.usajobs.gov

There are always thousands of job opportunities posted here, and they are in all fields. What's more, these are not just jobs in Washington DC... you can find positions all over the country, and in many other places in the world, such as overseas US embassies.

Search the site for 'hacking' or for 'cybersecurity' to zero in on current positions in this area.

For a broader search, search on 'IT Specialist' or the related job title, 'Telecommunications Specialist'. Not all jobs in these headings are security-related, but they are certainly a way to get a foot in the door in the information technology and cybersecurity fields.
Step 3

**Check the Private Sector**

Search job sites like monster.com or juju.com for terms like cybersecurity, ethical hacker, or the oddly-titled position of 'penetration tester'.

Many of the jobs listed will be for federal government support positions, and will often call for a level of security "clearance" (as in "top secret clearance required").

One of the ads from General dynamics Information Technology stresses that a top-notch ethical hacker has to be able to 'think like the bad guy'. A good description of the position, when you get right down to it.