How to Earn a Living Writing Technical Articles on Information Security
A new guide on Habr explores practical ways for technical writers to monetize their skills in the field of information security. The author explains that the rise of artificial intelligence, crawlers, and scrapers has reduced the willingness of experts to share valuable knowledge for free, leaving financial compensation as the main incentive.
Payments are typically structured either as a fixed fee per article or on a per-character basis. The author prefers fixed fees because per-character models often encourage unnecessary filler text. Articles must meet predefined quality criteria to qualify for payment.
Skillbox offers compensation starting at 3,000 RUB per article under an official civil-law contract that includes tax deductions. This option is unsuitable for writers who wish to remain anonymous, and the range of accepted topics is limited.
Codeby accepts technical articles on information security and artificial intelligence. The rate is 250 RUB per 1,000 characters, which typically yields around 5,000 RUB for an in-depth piece. No contracts are required, preserving privacy for remote workers and students. Published articles also serve as strong portfolio items.
Duty-Free pays a fixed 200 USD per article in any cryptocurrency. The platform strictly prohibits the use of artificial intelligence, copy-pasting, or translations. However, the resource operates in a gray zone and draws attention from law-enforcement agencies, requiring caution when traveling in Europe.
Xakep.ru does not publish fixed rates; compensation depends on topic complexity, originality, and effort. Each published article grants one month of free subscription, and authors who contribute more than three pieces receive permanent free access. A contributor reportedly earned approximately 150 USD for pentest-related articles.
The guide concludes with a roadmap advising writers to choose platforms according to their long-term objectives, whether that is building a public portfolio or maximizing short-term earnings while maintaining privacy.
Related articles
True Crime from Investigators: Solar Group to Premiere Real Cyber Investigation Series at Russian Cybersecurity Week 2026
The Solar Group has announced that its Cyberculture project will shift from poster exhibitions to a short true-crime series titled True Cyber Crime. The series draws directly from real investigation cases handled by the company's security practitioners. Episodes will air on Cyberbez TV during the SOC Forum, which forms the centerpiece of Russian Cybersecurity Week running from 26 to 30 October 2026. In parallel, the Cyberbez-Likbez track will deliver lectures and meetings across more than twenty universities between 5 and 26 October, targeting both specialized and non-specialized audiences. The main SOC Forum itself is scheduled for 27-28 October at the Lomonosov cluster in Moscow. Organizers state that the narrative format is intended to hold viewer attention longer than static posters while explaining concrete digital threats and recommended protective behaviors.
Personal Experience Passing HTB CJCA: What to Know Before the Junior Cybersecurity Analyst Exam
A cybersecurity professional who recently transitioned careers shares a detailed account of completing the Hack The Box Certified Junior Cybersecurity Analyst certification. The exam combines practical red team and blue team tasks in a lab environment rather than multiple-choice questions. Preparation involved completing the full Junior Cybersecurity Analyst path in HTB Academy, practicing on Easy and Medium machines, and following the SOC Analyst Path on LetsDefend. The five-day exam requires separate passing scores in both offensive and defensive sections, with strong emphasis on professional reporting using SysReptor. Key lessons include maintaining organized notes per host, documenting findings with MITRE ATT&CK mappings, and preparing thoroughly for the second phase of alert triage and incident handling.
OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Integration with Google Chrome for Direct Tab Interaction and Task Automation
OpenAI has introduced a deeper integration between ChatGPT and Google Chrome that allows the AI assistant to access content from open tabs and execute user-directed actions directly within the browser. Home users and corporations can now leverage the tool for tasks such as form filling, file downloads, message sending, and organizing multiple tabs without manually copying information into the chat. The update enables complex workflows, including comparing products across several pages by characteristics, delivery times, and return policies, or analyzing tariffs from multiple services to identify the best match. A sidebar mode in Chrome lets users discuss articles, generate report summaries, or draft emails while staying on the relevant page. Combined with conversation history and connected plugins, the system supports advanced scenarios like extracting receipts from Gmail and transferring data into expense reimbursement forms. OpenAI demonstrated examples where the assistant completes registration forms but pauses before final submission, marking a shift from instructional guidance to direct task execution in active tabs.
Yandex Restores Taxi, Delivery and Mobility Services After Major Infrastructure Outage
Yandex has announced that its core transport and delivery services are once again available to all users following a large-scale infrastructure failure. The affected services include ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, car-sharing, electric scooters, and smartphone charging stations. Additional platforms such as Lavka, Zapravki, and Transport have also returned to normal operation. Recovery remains gradual, with some Yandex 360 features intentionally disabled to manage load after earlier partial restoration of search, Alice, Maps, and Mail on 11 October. The company is providing free resource usage for Yandex Cloud and Yandex 360 customers in Russian availability zones from 8 to 31 October, with automatic billing adjustments. Director of Strategic Marketing Andrei Sebrant stated that the incident exceeded the severity of a single data-center loss scenario practiced in drills.