The FBI Is Struggling to Hire Hackers Who Don't Smoke Weed. Really??

[Oldgamer]

I didn't realize so many techies were "pot heads"..lol

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Link to News Article

The FBI has a problem. The agency needs to hire hackers to build out its cyber crime division, but it also will not hire anyone who's smoked weed in the past three years. And guess what? A lot of hackers like to smoke weed.

It's a real conundrum. However, it's a conundrum the FBI is working through. On Monday—the same day the agency made headlines by issuing wanted posters for Chinese Army hackers—FBI director James Comey told an audience at the White Collar Crime Institute about this little pot problem. "I have to hire a great work force to compete with those cyber criminals, and some of those kids want to smoke weed on the way to the interview," Comey said. Exactly how to do that is the hard part. Comey added that the agency is "grappling with the question right now."

So does this mean the FBI is looking to hire stoners? No, probably not. It does look like our friends in federal law enforcement are warming up to the idea of hiring people that like to take part in a fun activity that's legal in two states and practically legal in many more, though. In fact, Comey even told a member of the audience that his friend "should go ahead and apply," even if he's worried about the policy. And so can you. [WSJ]

 

[cabri]

Perfect example of people who have an attitude that the law should not apply to them

 

[dank69]

Perfect example of people who have an attitude that the law should not apply to them

I disregard unjust/illogical laws.

 

[PokerGuy]

I disregard unjust/illogical laws.

Nice, so if we all get to do that, why have them at all and just go with what we each think are "just/logical" things? Why have laws at all? If only there were a way that the people in society could collectively get their decisions codified into some standard binding rules........ oh, wait.

 

[Oldgamer]

Well I am confused, are they really missing out on hiring super geniuses because of the whole policy on marijuana? Are there really that many programmers, and hackers that smoke weed regularly that are in fact "would be top picks" that they pass up? I always thought pot made a person slow at thinking? Or is this all hype?

 

[HOSED]

This is truly a sad state of affairs http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-a-major-cause-of-accidents-what-study-says/ This study states: The study found that nearly 30 percent of fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs other than alcohol, with marijuana being the main culprit. Although it is a bit dated I would guess the rate of accidents may even be "higher" because of increasing potency of this garbage.
Maybe if the hiring policy changes it would be a good ruse to get more drug heads off the streets.

 

[Newell Steamer]

I'd like to hire you to illegally infringe on copywrighted programs as well as breaking various digital related laws - but, I won't, since you are breaking this single particular law.

This has nothing to do with breaking ANY laws.

This is about the FBI not wanting to hire a certain element. It's no secret, that pot smokers are deemed as social misfits, that probably voted for Obama and have 'ethnic' friends.

 

[realibrad]

Well I am confused, are they really missing out on hiring super geniuses because of the whole policy on marijuana? Are there really that many programmers, and hackers that smoke weed regularly that are in fact "would be top picks" that they pass up? I always thought pot made a person slow at thinking? Or is this all hype?

Hacking does not always require speed.

 

[WelshBloke]

Perfect example of people who have an attitude that the law should not apply to them

Are you talking about the potheads or the FBI there?

 

[dank69]

Nice, so if we all get to do that, why have them at all and just go with what we each think are "just/logical" things? Why have laws at all? If only there were a way that the people in society could collectively get their decisions codified into some standard binding rules........ oh, wait.

Yes, you all get to ignore unjust laws. I suppose if slavery was made legal again you would get yourself some slaves?

 

[Newell Steamer]

I suppose if slavery was made legal again you would get yourself some slaves?

You are missing the important part; he will celebrate the freedom of being allowed to get some slaves, by getting slaves.

Again, it's not about slavery - it's about freedom to have slaves.

 

[unokitty]

Levy profiles the imaginative brainiacs who found clever and unorthodox solutions to computer engineering problems. They had a shared sense of values, known as "the hacker ethic," that still thrives today. "Hackers" captures a seminal period in recent history when underground activities blazed a trail for today's digital world, from MIT students finagling access to clunky computer-card machines to the DIY culture that spawned the Altair and the Apple II.

Hidebound government agency can't hire enough people to deal with 'clever and unorthodox solutions' to computer problems.

Blames drugs.

Who da thunk it?

Uno

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Perfect example of people who have an attitude that the law should not apply to them

I wonder if the FBI is willing to hire people who have knowingly driven faster than the speed limit at any point in the last three years. Or jaywalked. Or littered. There are a lot of laws out there that get broken on a daily basis; why is smoking marijuana held to a higher standard? Scratch that, I know exactly why it's held to a higher standard; it was improperly and illogically declared a schedule 1 substance without any evidence that cannabis has a high probability for abuse or addiction in the wake of public fearmongering about the dangers of marijuana. It's been a boogeyman for decades, people have realized that it makes absolutely no sense for alcohol to be legal and marijuana to be illegal and there's a massive push to get it decriminalized and legalized across the US.... but the FBI can't seem as though they're in favor of that, can they? They're only looking for people who violate federal law when it comes to hacking networks; they can't be seen to be supporting the DRUG trade!

I have absolutely no interest in smoking pot; wouldn't do it even if it was legal. But this obsession to continue a costly war on a drug that is essentially harmless represents government at its absolute worst.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Shens, pot smokers are complete retards. Everyone knows this.

 

[JockoJohnson]

I disregard unjust/illogical laws.

So you should have no problem with the lawbreaking in this thread:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2365657

Or is this a subjective thing where you think it is unjust/illogical but others may not?

 

[kia75]

Well I am confused, are they really missing out on hiring super geniuses because of the whole policy on marijuana? Are there really that many programmers, and hackers that smoke weed regularly that are in fact "would be top picks" that they pass up? I always thought pot made a person slow at thinking? Or is this all hype?

Hacking involves finding the side-doors and hidden doorways. It isn't the best thinker, but the person who thinks best outside the box, and the person who can make the most connections between things that don't seem connected that excels at this sort of stuff.

i.e. Read this article A hacker wanted a certain Twitter account, so he found the e-mail to the twitter account. He then contacted Paypal with that e-mail and was able to get the last four numbers of a credit card. The hacker then contacted Godaddy, and with the targets e-mail address and last for digits of a credit card number was able to reset his godaddy password. With that password the hacker was then able to get access to the mark's e-mail.

The above is social hacking, but real life hacking works similiar. There was a recent news stories where servers were hacked to hack servers that would hack other servers that would hack web servers to distribute mal-ware. Hacking the web server directly would never have worked, they were too secure, but that web server trusted another web server that was fully automated (and also difficult to hack) but that trusted another server that wasn't secure and easy to hack.

 

[hal2kilo]

Why would the intelligence or LE community ever want a real cross section of people working for them.

 

[TechBoyJK]

This is truly a sad state of affairs http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-a-major-cause-of-accidents-what-study-says/ This study states: The study found that nearly 30 percent of fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs other than alcohol, with marijuana being the main culprit. Although it is a bit dated I would guess the rate of accidents may even be "higher" because of increasing potency of this garbage.
Maybe if the hiring policy changes it would be a good ruse to get more drug heads off the streets.

lol pot hardly ever causes accidents. I could be stoned silly and still drive better than most people on the road. Shit, I could smoke 2 joints and still play a good tennis game.

being stoned neq being drunk

 

[dank69]

So you should have no problem with the lawbreaking in this thread:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2365657

Or is this a subjective thing where you think it is unjust/illogical but others may not?

What are you talking about? What law in that thread was unjust or illogical?

 

[Oldgamer]

Hacking involves finding the side-doors and hidden doorways. It isn't the best thinker, but the person who thinks best outside the box, and the person who can make the most connections between things that don't seem connected that excels at this sort of stuff.

i.e. Read this article A hacker wanted a certain Twitter account, so he found the e-mail to the twitter account. He then contacted Paypal with that e-mail and was able to get the last four numbers of a credit card. The hacker then contacted Godaddy, and with the targets e-mail address and last for digits of a credit card number was able to reset his godaddy password. With that password the hacker was then able to get access to the mark's e-mail.

The above is social hacking, but real life hacking works similiar. There was a recent news stories where servers were hacked to hack servers that would hack other servers that would hack web servers to distribute mal-ware. Hacking the web server directly would never have worked, they were too secure, but that web server trusted another web server that was fully automated (and also difficult to hack) but that trusted another server that wasn't secure and easy to hack.

Ok so what you are saying is that people who smoke pot tend to be better more creative "outside the box" thinkers?

 

[dank69]

Ok so what you are saying is that people who smoke pot tend to be better more creative "outside the box" thinkers?

Probably more like outside the box thinkers realize that pot laws are ridiculous.

 

[Thebobo]

This is truly a sad state of affairs http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-a-major-cause-of-accidents-what-study-says/ This study states: The study found that nearly 30 percent of fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs other than alcohol, with marijuana being the main culprit. Although it is a bit dated I would guess the rate of accidents may even be "higher" because of increasing potency of this garbage.
Maybe if the hiring policy changes it would be a good ruse to get more drug heads off the streets.

• There is no proof that marijuana caused these accidents just that folks tested positive.
  
  
• There is no proof that those that tested positive where high at the time as it can be detected up to 10 days after use.
  
  
• So completely bogus premise and article.

 

[sze5003]

I think the issue is finding someone that hasn't smoked in the past three years. Maybe they are not casual smokers but two years ago took a hit of a joint.

Based on that history the fbi won't hire you. You not only need to be clean when you test but you must not have touched it in the last 3 years which I guess is where most people are failing.

 

[JockoJohnson]

What are you talking about? What law in that thread was unjust or illogical?

Individual campaign contribution caps. I feel that it is illogical and unjust.

 

[dank69]

Individual campaign contribution caps. I feel that it is illogical and unjust.

Well then you should ignore that law. Good luck with that.