Stereotypes exist everywhere in society. Whether we like it or not, they are a fact of life. For example, if you asked the average person what a typical criminal looked like, they would reply: "I guess it would be some young, teenage male in dark, baggy, clothing wearing a baseball cap."

As a member of law enforcement, would you view this as an accurate statement? Probably not. If there is such a thing as an average criminal, the person would look more like someone's mother or father than the person described above (This is assuming you are not profiling criminals. If so, please refer to the description in the previous paragraph).

So, if you feel confident in picking criminals out of a crowd, how about hackers? Are they young, teenage males with blue, spiked hair and lots of body piercings? Could the hackers be rowdy, obnoxious kids terrorizing the local shopping mall? Maybe, but most likely not.

Are there hackers who fit this description? Absolutely. Do all of them fall into this category? Well, no. Why not, you ask? Because I am a young, female hacker who not only works in Corporate America, but is a computer professional as well.

Now do I have your attention? Good. That is what I was hoping for. I do not fit the stereotype, yet I am a part of the hacker community. The average person would have no idea I was involved in the "hacker underground". However, this is exactly how I want to be perceived. As a computer professional, there is no better method for gathering the latest vulnerabilities and tools than submerging yourself in the hacker culture (the same can also be said of Corporate America).

Hackers are perceived as a bunch of social misfits, bent on creating global computer havoc. The media and federal law enforcement agencies love to feed the public this garbage on a regular basis. Given this perception, next time you are in the local coffee shop look for me sitting at a table drinking a cappuccino. I will be the one reading the latest hacker magazine while inquiring about career opportunities with the Department of Defense.