http://www.zdnet.com/google-recruits-to ... 000031718/
Google has hired a prolific hacker by the name of George Hotz to join the Project Zero team. Hotz is well-known for hacking Sony's PlayStation 3 and Apple's iPhone.
The 24-year-old — also known as geohot — hacked into the PlayStation 3 in order to install alternate operating system software, with the intention of playing pirated games. Hotz was then subsequently sued by Sony, although the matter was settled outside the courtroom. The hacker is also known for unlocking Apple's iPhone. Now, after a brief stint at Facebook several years ago, Hotz has found a home with Google, according to the BBC.
Google's Project Zero aims to reduce the threat that zero-day attacks represent by funding vulnerability research and hiring top security specialists and hackers. The hire of Hotz, therefore, is hardly a surprise — as these types of projects need people that can think like cyberattackers, as well as be talented in their own right, in order to thwart them.