Why I Love Offensive Work - Personal Reflections on Hacking and Security

Explore a personal journey through 24 years of offensive security work in this thought-provoking talk by renowned security researcher Thomas Dullien. Delve into the intricate relationship between hacking and offensive work, examining the creative aspects, scientific frontiers, and practical effects of this field. Gain insights into the incentive alignment, mission-critical nature for customers, and the exhilarating highs of success in offensive security. Discover the real-world magic and the unique individuals drawn to this profession. Contemplate ethical dilemmas, career paths, and economic influences in the industry. Reflect on the complexities of offensive work, its potential impact, and the importance of choosing sides. Consider alternative perspectives and the long-term implications of pursuing a career in offensive security.

Intro
Full stack CS
Creativity
Scientific frontiers
Practical effects
Incentive alignment
Mission-critical for customers
Not the customers money
The high after success
Real-world magic
The people
Can you do science w/o helping warfare? 1 perceive myself as a scientist /engineer of sorts.
Example 1: Hardy's "A Mathematician's Apology"
Example 2: Social Anthropology
Claim: You can't control the use of knowledge The choice is not between peaceful" and "warlike science. For most of
Are better weapons bad?
My sabbatical experience (2015-2016)
offensive work
"For whom?" - you pick a side
2: Career paths with downsides
Everything is complicated
Economics cloud judgement it is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. . People tend to pick their ideologies by function
Repetitive at max profit
Experts on obsolete tech
Missing a huge tech transform
The obituary test
Doing something else
Summary