“When I was a black hat hacker, I was separated and paranoid,” he composed. “Working with the heros, becoming part of a group resolving a larger issue felt remarkably excellent. I understood that I might utilize my technical abilities to make a distinction.

Lichtenstein, who did not instantly react to Ars’ ask for remark, kept in mind that he was sentenced to 60 months in jail and invested “almost [four] years in a few of the harshest prisons in the nation.” While in jail, Lichtenstein states that he invested as much time as he might in the jail library studying mathematics books to engage his mind and sidetrack himself from his environments.

The 38-year-old included that he was “launched to home confinement previously this month.”

Convicted hackers working together with federal authorities or turning their lives around is not without precedent.

One significant example is the late Kevin Mitnick, who was founded guilty of several phone and computer system criminal offense cases in the 1980s and 1990s. Mitnick ultimately began his own security speaking with business and ended up being a penetration tester and speaker for several years before his death in 2023.

“Now starts the genuine obstacle of restoring the neighborhood’s trust,” Lichtenstein concluded, keeping in mind that he wishes to operate in cybersecurity.

“I believe like a foe,” he stated. “I’ve been an enemy. Now I can utilize those very same abilities to stop the next billion-dollar hack.”