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.
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