So a little disclaimer: I do not have any hacking experience whatsoever, I'm just really curious.

Is putting hacking experience or any open-source viruses created wise to put on one's resume?

Unless you are applying for a job where those skills would be useful I would avoid mentioning them altogether (on your resume or otherwise). It's not something that I think would impress many people.

I honestly wouldn't hire you if I were looking for someone who put that on their resume (unless I was NSA or something ).

Sure.

Just think of it like, being a terrorist who's retired because they want to work for the U.S. Army because it pays better.

I'd put down large amounts of details on how I fired on American troops and took Middle Eastern lives. If there's one thing you can't beat, it's experience and new perspective.

Not going to lie, I chuckled a little at this thread. But really, if you're applying for a legitimate job you should avoid bragging about your illegal exploits... Even if their as minor as launching a virus that changes peoples cursors into tacos. Even if you were applying for a network security specialist position I wouldn't recommend saying that you broke into peoples networks without their permission. Being a penetration tester is one thing, being a random attacker is different. So, if this skill is relevant to your prospective job than ja mention it in the resume! Just... not by saying you excercise this skill by doing illegal things.

No, you can definitely re work that to show that you are good with computers, which would be a huge plus, but never directly say that.

There's a small chance you're asking this question the way I would ask the question.  There's a big chance you're actually asking the question out of curiosity.

My job entails hiring people, looking at resumes, evaluating talent, and ultimately giving people money for their skills and abilities.

If I see someone who says, "Created virus" I'm going to immediately black-list them.  They don't stand a chance.  Viruses aren't created for the good of the world and they're not made by people who are particularly friendly to the population as a whole.

They're meant to do damage.  There is no other reason, however you want to pretend you're building your tech skills, to create a virus.  That's it.

So, no, don't include it unless you're aiming at government jobs which are counter to viruses, or software companies who are hiring for defense against the programs.  The normal world won't 'appreciate' the skills the way you think they do.  You won't stand a shot.

Finding exploits and security holes might be something that could be put on a resume, but I dunno if virus-creation really is something that is desirable in any company....