Born in the early 70’s around the age of 7 I got interested in electronics and technology. Begged my dad for a computer and he came home with a Commodore 64. My dad, like me started working at a young age and worked with pc’s all his life as a engineer. He would take me to his office when I was very young and would show me what they do. Looking back, it’s amazing how underpowered pc’s were in the 70’s and 80’s, but was able to get the job done. Computers and technology had always facinated me and I think part of that was my dad.
I later built my first 286 PC and began to write my own games and programs with gwbasic. I got involved on a bbs that helped mod pc game files.
In the late 80’s I was cracking old push button cable boxes, cracking snack and soda machines, pay phones and modding video games… all for fun and learning.
In the 90’s I was writing code for DSS (free tv), learning about coding and enrolling in Computer Programming at trade school. I learned C, C++, Colbal, Pascal, Basic and a few others to just name a few. In school I was known as the geek and I found ways to get around the school network and do things for classmates as in changing grades on grade cards. Thinking that would gain me friends, I was wrong… just made me the weird kid that could spent too much time geeking out on technology. I graduated with high honors in Computer Programming. Later went to college and challenged most of my computer classes.
Started work for a Security and Detective company. I created scheduling programs for the company in my spare time. After a couple years with them I went to a Coal Company and became instrumental in implementing ISO9002. This was the first company I worked for that had a network. I begin setting up servers and software with little to no help and a lot of reading. I later started with a CoalLab and created programs for coal analysis and build coal labs for testing the contents of coal.
It was late 90’s and I wanted out of the coal industry so I seen an ad for a help desk tech for a local cell company. I went in knowing the ins and outs of the company, even down to the server names. I got the job, not sure if they hired me because they was shocked I knew the company network or what. I became the head tech and manager of the support center. I did some work in the switch room and helped implement alpha numeric paging and build the first ISP in Southern WV. I was the go to guy for getting information on local script kiddies and tracking users down. The company sold out to a large ISP in PA and they decided to keep me around. I managed many state networks, created an out-of-band management system that Cisco and 3com wanted because my box was less than $100 and the competitors was 10k.
Later I started getting more involved in building wireless networks, programmed routers, switches, postmasters, TNT Max, firewalls and more. I did one job for a company and was escorted to the server room by MP’s. After going through many doors and hearing the pin code more than 10 times a day, I got bored and while back at the hotel room I kept playing back the tones on the phone. The next day I went through the first door and at the second door before the MP’s punched in the code, I told them what it was. Big mistake! They pulled me out and drilled me for answers, told me to come back later. The next day I came back and I didn’t hear the tones, they cut the speaker on the keypads. They thanked me later.
Sometime in the early 2000’s I began hacking wireless networks with a Dell Axim and an external CF wireless card, and a serial connected GPS to map wireless networks. I would chalk open and closed networks and once decide to let a doctors office know that the wifi they was using is not secure and with permission would like to show them. They called the cops, but later called to cancel. They hired me to secure the network and word got out and I stayed busy for months protecting most all companies in the area. It was during the early 2000’s that I became involved with a few hacker groups and spent a lot of time on 4chan, trading codes and even writing code for remote access, DDoS, scripts and more. Between 2007 – 2010 I became somewhat instermental in taking down a few sites… unintentionally, that’s how I remember it. ;->
I’m currently with a global company that I have been with for 20+ years now as the SysAdmin… Anyone will tell you that I’m dedicated to that job. Most of my moonlighting days are over. I have done so much in my almost 50 years on this planet and I’m beginning to share some of my knowledge and skills to help the younger generation.
Learn something new every day and you will never get bored.
Keep learning and safe hacking. jT (MajorJoker)