vx-underground: A long long time ago, when I first got into malware, I met a kid who was a little older...

Fast Alert Sensor Tier 2 Fast-alert source Malware-research community perspective Underground-source claims require extra corroboration source-attributed Telegram source claim Public Telegram post fast-alert sensor research source malware

Public Telegram feed monitored for malware and underground signals.

3.6K views 78 forwards 214 reactions Top 7.14% in source Source rank #2 Global pct 62.2

Original English English

A long long time ago, when I first got into malware, I met a kid who was a little older than me who, by all standards of measurement, was significantly more intelligent and gifted than me.

He made me feel like a moron.

Very quickly he established a reputation on IRC for being "the guy", despite being like, 16. His parents were financially well off and extremely supportive and sent him to DEFCON. He had a really great PC setup. He had it all lined up. He was destined for an amazing and strong career in information security. I was extremely envious of him because he also had a super pretty girlfriend while somehow being a massive nerd. His parents bought him a car. In my eyes he had it all.

On my side, I had some old piece of crap computer. I didn't even have a computer chair, I used some ghetto dining room table chair made from janky wood. It was all beat up and yucky.

I struggled learning C. On IRC I was basically the village idiot and memed all the time (although in good jest). My friend would become frustrated with me because of how slow I learned.

I was a poor kid. I wasn't like, poor-poor like, homeless or whatever, but his parents has significantly more money than mine and were capable for providing for their son in ways my family could not.

I'm not entirely sure what happened because, despite him learning faster, retaining more information, having more resources, having amazing opportunities, ... he threw it away. I have no idea why. He lost his focus somehow and ended up working at a restaurant for a little bit as a server. He later worked at a mall kiosk.

I ended up being the successful one. I ended up having an amazing career in cybersecurity. I ended up knowing far more than him.

Sometimes I reflect on it and it blows my mind. I only surpassed him because I had endurance and was willing to continue the grind.

He had everything on a silver platter. He had so many amazing opportunities. He could have gone so far, he was so incredibly gifted and smart.

I have no idea what he was thinking to make him squander it all.

I guess the moral of the story is that turtle and the rabbit thingy has truth to it.