Hacking is Just Cracking One Puzzle at a Time

PC Magazine, By Fahmida Rashid

Get a bunch of hackers and other security-minded folks in the same place and a little bit of good-natured competition and hacking is inevitable.

Last week's Kaspersky Lab Security Analyst Summit was jam-packed with interesting sessions and attended by some of the best minds in information security, but that wasn't all. Attendees could also compete in the "Crypto-challenge," where they use their hacking skills to solve a series of puzzles. I was among the handful who finished the challenge, and along the way learned a bit more about cryptography, obfuscation, and reverse engineering.

Most of all, I learned that hacking is like solving puzzles; you keep thinking, "Let me just try this one thing," and feeling really excited when you get it. Read more.