I started to get interested in cybersecurity many
years ago, but I can say that 2024 was the year I
learned the most and delved deeper into this vast
world. It all started in 2019, when I was in a phase
of seeking new knowledge. I asked myself: "Why not
try to learn something about hacking?" At that time,
I didn't have much direction and ended up not learning
anything concrete, but that first step was what
sparked my interest in the field.
Some time later, I came across a video on YouTube
about a cybersecurity group with a more activist
focus. They used techniques such as social engineering
and collaboration with the police to identify and
arrest cybercriminals. This video really caught my
attention, especially because it was a time when
groups of teenagers in Brazil were committing
cybercrimes through servers on Discord, Telegram,
and other platforms. I was fascinated by the work
the group was doing and decided to look for ways to
get involved in something similar.
That's how I found a Discord server that had similar
goals. They worked in partnership with the group I saw
in the video, and after a few conversations, I was able
to join. At first, my role was to organize collected
information, but I soon wanted to delve deeper. I sent
an email to the person in charge of the main group,
asking if I could help more actively. After a while,
I was accepted and began to participate in larger cases.
This experience was a huge milestone for me. I
participated in actions that ranged from identifying
teenagers involved in crimes to collaborating on more
serious cases, such as the arrest of ped****les and
the prevention other "brutal" acts. It was a period
of great learning, but also of contact with difficult
and often heavy realities.
In this process, I learned a lot about social
engineering and operational security (opsec) practices
in addition to developing
a broader vision of how to deal with investigations and
sensitive cases. I met incredible people, with whom I
keep in touch to this day, and I had the chance to
participate in projects that taught me more than I could
have imagined. Although most of the cases I worked on took
place in Brazil, what I learned was something I will
take with me wherever I go.
For personal reasons, and even because of school, I
chose to leave the group. I still have contact with
the members, and I still do projects with some
colleagues that I met there.
For ethical reasons and in compliance with school
rules, I cannot go into details about names, groups
or tools, but it was this trajectory that solidified my
interest in cybersecurity. I continue to study and learn
more and more, always motivated :)
I started to get interested in cybersecurity many
years ago, but I can say that 2024 was the year I
learned the most and delved deeper into this vast
world. It all started in 2019, when I was in a phase
of seeking new knowledge. I asked myself: "Why not
try to learn something about hacking?" At that time,
I didn't have much direction and ended up not learning
anything concrete, but that first step was what
sparked my interest in the field.
Some time later, I came across a video on YouTube
about a cybersecurity group with a more activist
focus. They used techniques such as social engineering
and collaboration with the police to identify and
arrest cybercriminals. This video really caught my
attention, especially because it was a time when
groups of teenagers in Brazil were committing
cybercrimes through servers on Discord, Telegram,
and other platforms. I was fascinated by the work
the group was doing and decided to look for ways to
get involved in something similar.
That's how I found a Discord server that had similar
goals. They worked in partnership with the group I saw
in the video, and after a few conversations, I was able
to join. At first, my role was to organize collected
information, but I soon wanted to delve deeper. I sent
an email to the person in charge of the main group,
asking if I could help more actively. After a while,
I was accepted and began to participate in larger cases.
This experience was a huge milestone for me. I
participated in actions that ranged from identifying
teenagers involved in crimes to collaborating on more
serious cases, such as the arrest of ped****les and
the prevention other "brutal" acts. It was a period
of great learning, but also of contact with difficult
and often heavy realities.
In this process, I learned a lot about social
engineering, operational security (opsec) practices
and information organization, in addition to developing
a broader vision of how to deal with investigations and
sensitive cases. I met incredible people, with whom I
keep in touch to this day, and I had the chance to
participate in projects that taught me more than I could
have imagined. Although most of the cases I worked on took
place in Brazil, what I learned was something I will
take with me wherever I go.
For personal reasons, and even because of school, I
chose to leave the group. I still have contact with
the members, and I still do projects with some
colleagues that I met there.
For ethical reasons and in compliance with school
rules, I cannot go into details about names, groups
or tools, but it was this trajectory that solidified my
interest in cybersecurity. I continue to study and learn
more and more, always motivated :)