Wired to the Mob

A mafia hacker tells his story
to Wired
Everyone
thinks they know what the mob is like. It’s something you learn from
watching The Sopranos and GoodFellas, something that involves Joe
Pesci, baked manicotti, and a dead guy in the trunk. But that’s not
what I’ve seen during my two years working for organized crime. My
sense is that the mob works a lot like GE or Time Warner. It’s more
Jack Welch than John Gotti.

My
job is a lot like managing any other venture. I make sure that
people show up on time, that bills get paid, and that the customers and
employees are reasonably happy.
But that’s not all I do. I’m tech support for the mob. From the
moment I started this gig, I realized just how behind this gang
is when
it comes to technology. Forget about the paperless office. These
guys are buried in pulp. But when they want to revamp their systems,
it’s not like they can call McKinsey for advice. That’s where I
come in.

as told to Simpson Garfinkle in Wired News