I was a preteen hacker. Now I protect companies from cybersecurity threats.

Chaim Mazal was a preteen hacker who became a chief security officer.

Chaim Mazal

• Chaim Mazal said he wrote a program that could generate credit card numbers when he was 12.
• Today, he's a cybersecurity executive at a company that secures complex network infrastructures.
• Mazal now uses the hacker mindset he developed as a kid to protect data from AI-driven threats.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 41-year-old Chaim Mazal, chief security officer of Gigamon...