Ross Wilkers
Gen. Keith Alexander, head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, addressed hackers at the DefCon conference Friday to pitch his agency as a potential employment opportunity, CNN Money reports.
According to Stacy Cowley, more than 16,000 people turned out at the Las Vegas conference.
Alexander spoke to a standing-room only audience at the cybersecurity convention, saying the agency needs talent like them in order to protect cyberspace.
Cowley reports Alexander also lauded the skill set required for some of the innovations used during the convention, including a a private cellular network for chatting during the convention.
He told attendees they should not be alarmed if they have previous indiscretions, as the cyber workforce is not a standard federal career, according to the report.
One unidentified attendee told Crowley he would consider NSA as a career path, pointing out the common goals of protecting corporate cyber infrastructure and the federal government’s.
Alexander told the audience although they get negative publicity, the government needs them to figure out vulnerabilities.
