Hackers should be given a second chance

A 25-year-old Polish-born Kiwi has told the Weekend Herald about how he stole up to NZ$300,000 by hacking, and then spent three years in prison.

The Herald said Tomasz Grygoruk had "been working all night on his latest bogus internet banking website when the police came through his parents' front door".

The Aucklander was sentenced to three years in prison for his crimes.

Now out of jail, he told the Herald that he wants to turn his sophisticated skills to good use. However, a security expert told the paper that he would be problematic to hire because his criminal record would cause liability issues.

I can understand the company's reticence. There is that issue of trust. Once a thief, always a thief, they say.

Despite claims that the security industry does not take on hackers, it appears that they do.

Just last month, we heard a security expert call on Microsoft and Sony to recruit hackers to help close their security holes.

PS3 hacker George "GeoHot" Hotz has started working for Facebook.

Furthermore, hackers have been gaining top jobs with security firms for quite some time, with the US government also recruiting them.

Such convicted criminals will be able to share their stories of how they gained access, and will be able to find and close the breaches that regular staff may not. One would expect them to have better knowledge as well, as they will have used it to great effect in their earlier "unreformed" lives.

So, I hope Tomasz Grygoruk is given a second chance. He has paid his "debt to society", and has served his time. I hope he can use his talents, however "bad" they have been, to stop other hackers.

Furthermore, should he not gain ethical and honest work and not be allowed to put his past behind him, there runs a greater risk that Tomasz Grygoruk might return to his old criminal ways.