Last week came the news that hackers had infiltrated the U.S. military’s Predator drone transmissions, allowing them to see exactly what the automated planes could see. News reports such as the AP video below point the finger at insurgents in Iraq, who may have used the inside info to evade attacks by the drones.

Let’s be clear: This is ridiculous. I’ve written about network vulnerabilities before, and I’ve been surprised by big data breaches at large corporations, but this is a new low. If our highly advanced, technologically superior military doesn’t enlist basic security measures (e.g., encryption) to guard its strategic assets, how are we supposed to persuade anyone of the value of digital security? That kind of slipup makes for a good joke on the late-night circuit, little more.

Speaking of the late-night circuit, a couple of nights before the drone-hacking news broke, I had a chat with some colleagues at a holiday party. Yuletide revelry tends to loosen lips, which always makes for interesting conversations. During the course of the night, individuals who will remain nameless admitted that in their foolhardy, younger days they had, for instance, lashed together some electrical components to create a pay phone hacking device. And they might have sold it to friends, who then might have made a large number of phone calls on Ma Bell’s dime.

The point is that these people are now well-performing members of society. The curiosity and ingenuity that drove the illicit activities of youth are now driving their careers. Part of that transformation must have come from the educational system that helped steer them toward productive careers. There are, of course, the questions of opportunity — many hackers may feel that they have little opportunity to earn riches and acclaim in the world of legitimate employment. But what if the educational system focused more on steering their ingenuity and curiosity toward productive ends? Today’s schools should look for signs of technical capability among its young students and educate those kids on the many paths those skills suggest. That may not stem the tide of Romanian hackers or Iraqi insurgent hackers, but it could go a long way at home.

(Check out CNN’s story on the U.S. Cyber Challenge, which brings some of our best hackers into the limelight and probably decreases the chances that they’ll put their skills toward illegal ends.)