A former hacker's stark warning to Manchester pupils: 'Cybercrime is not cool, it's just chaos'
Two ex-hackers are urging talented teenagers in Manchester to use their gaming and coding skills for good. Conor Freeman, 26, from Dublin, and Ricky Handschumacher, a 30-year-old US citizen, shared their harrowing experiences of falling into the world of cybercrime at Connell Co-op College near Manchester City's Etihad Stadium.
The pair, former members of a sprawling cybercrime ecosystem dubbed "The Com", revealed that they had initially been drawn into hacking by gaming. Freeman was groomed online while playing Minecraft and eventually became part of The Com after befriending people on the dark web. Handschumacher also fell into the group through gaming before becoming embroiled in cryptocurrency theft.
Their stories paint a stark picture of what living a life of internet crime can look like. "It's just people getting into these online dramas and they're swatting and doxing each other and getting people to throw bricks through their windows," said Freeman, describing the petty squabbles that make up much of cybercrime activity.
The hackers' message is clear: though cybercrime may seem alluring, it's not worth the risk. Handschumacher revealed that he would have taken a different path had he known about the opportunities in cybersecurity. "If you do something wrong, it will quickly harm your future," said Suheil, 17.
The initiative is part of an effort by The Hacking Games to identify talented gamers who could make the jump to cybersecurity and help companies detect flaws in their IT systems via "red teaming" – or ethical hacking. Fergus Hay, co-founder and chief executive of The Hacking Games, believes there's a "100% overlap" between gaming and hacking.
"And the people who've worked that out are the bad guys," he said. "So what you've got is a whole generation of natural-born hackers who've got incredible aptitude, but they're invisible. No one's seen their skill sets because they aren't advertised on LinkedIn."
The Co-op group has been targeted by cyber-attacks in the past and is working to raise awareness about cybersecurity among young people. Rob Elsey, the Co-op group's chief digital officer, said the talks were about "helping young people recognise that the digital skills they already have can be a force for good".
Two ex-hackers are urging talented teenagers in Manchester to use their gaming and coding skills for good. Conor Freeman, 26, from Dublin, and Ricky Handschumacher, a 30-year-old US citizen, shared their harrowing experiences of falling into the world of cybercrime at Connell Co-op College near Manchester City's Etihad Stadium.
The pair, former members of a sprawling cybercrime ecosystem dubbed "The Com", revealed that they had initially been drawn into hacking by gaming. Freeman was groomed online while playing Minecraft and eventually became part of The Com after befriending people on the dark web. Handschumacher also fell into the group through gaming before becoming embroiled in cryptocurrency theft.
Their stories paint a stark picture of what living a life of internet crime can look like. "It's just people getting into these online dramas and they're swatting and doxing each other and getting people to throw bricks through their windows," said Freeman, describing the petty squabbles that make up much of cybercrime activity.
The hackers' message is clear: though cybercrime may seem alluring, it's not worth the risk. Handschumacher revealed that he would have taken a different path had he known about the opportunities in cybersecurity. "If you do something wrong, it will quickly harm your future," said Suheil, 17.
The initiative is part of an effort by The Hacking Games to identify talented gamers who could make the jump to cybersecurity and help companies detect flaws in their IT systems via "red teaming" – or ethical hacking. Fergus Hay, co-founder and chief executive of The Hacking Games, believes there's a "100% overlap" between gaming and hacking.
"And the people who've worked that out are the bad guys," he said. "So what you've got is a whole generation of natural-born hackers who've got incredible aptitude, but they're invisible. No one's seen their skill sets because they aren't advertised on LinkedIn."
The Co-op group has been targeted by cyber-attacks in the past and is working to raise awareness about cybersecurity among young people. Rob Elsey, the Co-op group's chief digital officer, said the talks were about "helping young people recognise that the digital skills they already have can be a force for good".
. I mean, these kids are literally being recruited by cybercriminals in gaming servers and then sucked into this dark world of online crime. It's like, how easy is it to get drawn in? And the reality is, cybercrime is not even that cool or edgy – it's just a bunch of people getting into petty squabbles and drama 
. I wish more people were sharing these kinds of stories because it's really eye-opening.
I think it's so important what these two hackers are trying to say to the kids in Manchester. I mean, I've heard of cybercrime being like a big game, but it's really just chaos - people getting hurt, windows getting smashed... 
It's not cool at all. And yeah, I know some people might think hacking is like having superpowers, but it's actually just using your skills for the wrong reasons.
It's not rocket science, but sometimes you need someone to explain it in a way that makes sense to young people. And trust me, it's worth it. We're living in a world where cybercrime is getting worse and worse - these kids could be the ones to help stop it! 
. I mean, come on, if gaming and coding are so attractive to kids, shouldn't we be investing in programs that teach them how to use these skills for real good? Like, instead of getting into "The Com" ecosystem, they should be learning about cybersecurity and how to make a difference in the world 
. We need more initiatives like this that help gamers and coders channel their energy into something positive 
.
it's like they're saying you can use those same skills for something good instead of doing something crazy. I'm all for encouraging gamers to get into cybersecurity, I mean who doesn't need people checking their systems? 
Interesting that the Co-op group has been targeted by cyber-attacks before and now they're trying to raise awareness about it, maybe we'll see more people like these hackers coming out of the woodwork.
. Like, who even is this "The Com" group? 
.
i mean its cool how they're tryin to use their gaming skills 4 good now tho 
maybe we should all just play minecraft with a side of password safety 
. I mean like those 2 ex-hackers were so lucky to get out before it was too late. Gaming can be fun but dont fall into that dark web stuff lol, its just a bunch of drama and people getting all salty online 
. And yeah, handschumacher is right, if u got skills in coding or gaming, use them for good not evil 
. I mean, sure, gaming and coding can be awesome, but not when you're using them for bad stuff 
. Most of the time it's just people messing around online and causing drama 
. And trust me, I've seen my fair share of online shenanigans - but at least we can learn from their mistakes 
. It makes total sense - those gaming skills are basically the same as hacking skills 
. Fingers crossed, right? 
. I mean, who falls into cybercrime thru Minecraft? 
. It's not all about the Benjamins, they say - u can use ur skills 2 help companies catch hackers instead of being one 