I was led down the wrong path into cybercrime when I was a teenager. That’s what I would tell myself when I was younger From play to goal

In 2016, Daniel Kelly, then 19, was charged with computer hacking, extortion and fraud in connection with a major data breach at a British telecommunications company. He was sentenced to four years in prison. Since his release, he has worked with over 35 cybersecurity companies to produce thought leadership campaigns and articles About the reality of digital threats.

When I was a teenager, gaming took over my entire life. I was playing for 12 hours or more a day; That was all I could think about. Video games gave me a different way to socialize because I didn’t enjoy school and didn’t have much of a social life outside of the internet. The gaming world became my entire environment, my sanctuary, my community.

Things started going wrong around 2011 or 2012. I was playing a competitive online multiplayer game and my internet connection dropped right before the match started. I later found out that competing players figured out how to grab my IP address and DDoS me (a type of cyberattack). I started researching how they do it and found an online hacking forum. Hence the curiosity began, not from malice, but from trying to understand.

After I started cheating in video games, I became curious about how websites worked and started learning to hack web applications. I reported the vulnerabilities to companies and I ended up getting recognition from Microsoft as a security researcher.

What pushed me away from this path was how unrewarded I felt. At the time, there were no formal bug bounty programs (where hackers responsible for discovering vulnerabilities in an organization’s online systems were rewarded), and most companies did not understand responsible disclosure. So, when you reported a problem, you were often ignored or threatened. For a teenager who was looking for validation and community, this made a difference.

Things escalated between 2012 and 2015. I built relationships with people on hacking forums, and conversations slowly shifted. What started as curiosity turned into something much darker; I descended into cybercrime without even realizing how far off the path I had gone.

After my arrest, there were endless legal discussions and delays – I spent four years on police bail.

The first prison I arrived at was HMP Belmarsh. Everything there was loud and unexpected. For the first few weeks, I felt constantly alert, not because of fear, but because of the atmosphere. Over time you learn the rhythms of prison life. You also realize how much time you have to think. It forces you to confront yourself and your decisions. It wasn’t all bad, but it was lonely.

“Weird” is probably the simplest way to describe your release. You imagine freedom as a huge emotional moment, but it’s actually overwhelming. I’ve spent months or years telling you where to go, what to do, and when to do it. Then suddenly, you walk out of the house and everyone expects you to be normal again. It took some time to adjust, get used to making small choices again, and rebuild confidence.

Part of my sentence included a serious crime prevention order, which I am still serving over 10 years later. It affects almost every aspect of my life. I have restrictions on technology and online activity, and I live with the constant awareness that any small mistake could take my freedom back. It creates a strange kind of tension.

Since release, I’ve found a way to connect two things I understand deeply: cybersecurity and cyber threat intelligence. I realized that many cybersecurity marketing teams lacked technical insight, and that many technical people struggled to explain their work in a way that audiences could understand. I built a bridge between those worlds. The same knowledge that once got me into trouble now forms the basis of my work. It’s weird in a good way.

When you’re talented but isolated, it’s easy to be drawn to communities that feel valid but lead you down the wrong path. There was a period in my teens when I tried to use my skills for good. If there had been more structured and positive ways for young people to channel those skills at that time, things might have turned out differently. I was not prepared for crime in the traditional sense. It was an empowering situation. No one stopped me, no one showed me what it could look like to use my skills legitimately. This combination is dangerous: talent without structure.

Fergus Hay, founder of The Hacking Games, is helping to shift the narrative around hacking from something seen as purely criminal to something that can be constructive and useful when directed in the right way. The Co-op’s partnership with The Hacking Games helps young people channel their digital skills into ethical careers – exactly the kind of preventive work we need. It gives young people with technical skills a positive outlet. I’m a member of The Hacking Games community because I want to guide the next generation to avoid the mistakes I made and use their skills to protect the community.

I would tell anyone who is passionate about technology to never underestimate how far you can go by being transparent about what you are learning. The Internet can connect you with people who will recognize your abilities and give you opportunities. The key is to direct your energy toward mastery rather than harm. Pay attention to the intentions of the people you surround yourself with. If someone tells you that laws don’t matter or that the whole thing is harmless, that’s a red flag. The line between curiosity and crime can quickly become blurry if no one helps you understand it.

When I think about what advice I would give to my younger self, the answer keeps evolving. The obvious thing would be to say, “Don’t do it,” but the truth is that everything that happened ended up shaping who I am and what I do now.

However, I would tell my younger self not to cross certain lines. Do not blackmail or extort companies. This was the worst part and the thing I will always regret. I would also tell him to think more carefully about the consequences and realize how many people are affected when you make rash decisions. Curiosity itself was not wrong, but the way I used it was wrong.

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