Hacking for Good: Ethical Hackers and Their Fight Against Global Cybercrime

Ethical hacking is not just about finding flaws; it’s about building trust and safeguarding the digital world, is what Parisa Tabriz, Google’s Director of Engineering, believes. There was a time when the word hacking was a taboo and being a ‘hacker’ was equivalent to being a criminal bringing shady images to the head. Today hacking for the right reasons is a whole area of profession, research and studies called ethical hacking.

Let us understand what is ethical hacking?
The concept even though has been around since 1960s, has taken off very recently. The term ‘ethical hacking’ was coined by John Patrick in 1995, the VP of IBM. However, not all hackers wear the signature black hat. Ethical hackers, often dubbed “white-hat hackers,” are leveraging their skills for the greater good, helping organizations, governments, and individuals fend off cyber threats. Cybersecurity stats are over the roof at present with the resulting damages crossing $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.  Study by IBM also mentions that the average cost of a data breach in 2023 reached $4.45 million, a 15% increase over the past three years. FBI also reports a similar situation with over 800,000 complaints on cybercrime in 2023 alone. These cases combined reported losses of up to $12.5 billion. Such figures very well tell us the need of ethical hackers so that cybercrime can be proactively investigated and prevented.

Ethical Hacking: The Boon for Future

The process of ethical hacking is essentially hacking only. So, is ethical hacking illegal?
Let us understand. Ethical hacking is the process where hackers find and apply hacking techniques to identify vulnerabilities and issues with a system so that they can strengthen those systems and make them resistant to breaches of unethical hackers. The practice often requires professional certifications like Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) or Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP). These hackers create and simulate real-world cyber-attacks via hacking to perform penetration testing. By mimicking such attacks they assess the firewalls, vulnerability to phishing attacks, engineering and coding problems, all under secrecy and then rectify all the issues that they come across. By doing so, they develop a cyber security risk assessment matrix, a framework to evaluate potential threats and recommend solutions. Ethical hackers address these issues confidentially,  and identify gaps in the security of an organization’s system, ethical hackers help organizations shut down potential global cyber-attacks and increase security by bounds and leaps.

How Ethical Hackers Combat Cybercrime Globally

• Fighting Ransomware

Ransomware attacks rose by 105% in 2022, according to SonicWall. Ethical hackers specifically target and mimic such attacks. Based on the issues found, they create better firewalls, train staff and reducing their system’s susceptibility to these devastating global cyber-attacks.

• Dismantling Dark Web

Ethical hackers often assist police and law enforcement to find and disable dark web operations. For example, Operation Onymous, a collaborative operation of the Europol and the FBI, with the help of such white-hat hacking, took down over 400 dark web sites in 2020.

• Protecting Data

IBM says that in 2023 the average data breach cost that involved personally identifiable information also known as PII cost approximately $161 per instance. It is during such situations that ethical hackers come into the picture and apply stronger encryption walls and technologies to fend off and prevent such obstacles.

Challenges Ethical Hackers Face

Ethical hacks, albeit their noble intentions and ethical practices to decrypt unethical practices, do have some pitfalls in their way as well. Legal complexities can be one challenge to deal with because ethical hacking, even when done in a legal way, can prove to be a difficult path to tread on. Moreover, organizations sometimes, even after identifying vulnerabilities in their systems, don’t act upon solving them as actively as they should have, which puts to waste all the efforts of these hackers.

Another challenge is that despite being hackers, even these professionals are vulnerable to cybercrime. Being in the frontline of cybersecurity makes them ripe targets as well. Chris Roberts, a renowned cybersecurity expert was arrested in 2015 by the FBI after he publicly disclosed vulnerabilities he found in airplane systems. The impact of ethical hackers goes beyond preventing only cyberattacks. They are a key element in shaping global cybersecurity policies, informing and educating the public to raise awareness about cyber hygiene. Programs like “Hack the Army”, a Defense program by the U.S. Department, exemplify how ethical hacking can serve national security interests. Penetration testing tools and techniques developed by ethical hackers, such as Metasploit, Wireshark and Burp Suite, have become go to resources in cybersecurity practices.

Ethical Hacking in Action

Major tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Google run bug bounty programs, rewarding ethical hackers who uncover vulnerabilities. Security experts found more than 2,900 security issues in systems of about 68 countries. Google paid out over $12 million in bug bounties in 2022 alone. Ethical hackers participating in these programs have averted countless potential cyber disasters. Additionally, Google also provided over $250,000 in grants to support the work of more than 170 security researchers.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Investing in ethical hacking isn’t just about preventing financial loss; it’s about preserving trust in the digital ecosystem. By championing ethical hacking and addressing issues like the definition of crime statistics and proactive threat assessments, we can build a safer digital future. The more these cyber threats continue to evolve and spread, the more the role of ethical hackers becomes critical. Their work goes far beyond identifying vulnerabilities and they are the unsung heroes of the digital world, fighting a war that isn’t visible to the naked eyes to keep us safe. What is necessary for ethical hackers to succeed, and grow is collaboration between governments, organizations, and the cybersecurity policy makers.

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