hiring hackers as security consultants

Introduction：

1、How Do Companies and Governments Find the Best Hackers？

2、What is White Hat Hacker？

How Do Companies and Governments Find the Best Hackers？ ♂

　　Big name companies like Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft have all hired hackers — after those same individuals got caught hacking someone else! While this practice has become normalized, that doesn’t mean that the rest of the country wants hackers to gain access to their devices to point out poor cybersecurity behaviors. If you want to quickly improve your cyber awareness, be sure to regularly scan your device for security threats. Click here to run a quick Security Scan on your phone:

　　This recruitment technique might seem like a risky one, but it actually comes with a distinct advantage. For instance, say you hear about a hacker who successfully breached Twitter’s security system, like 17-year-old Michael Mooney did in 2009. That person has shown a more impressive display of his hacking skills than a resume ever could.

　　Read More: How to Protect Your Twitter Account From Hackers

　　In Michael Mooney’s case, he created two worms that infected more than 200 Twitter accounts, plus produced another 10,000 spam tweets. What was his punishment for these wrongdoings? Well, Mooney got offered a job at exqSoft Solutions, a web development company. Of course, hacking is still illegal in the United States and this criminal behavior can’t be endorsed. But this discussion does bring us to the topic of ethical hackers and how companies, governments, and other institutions are hiring them for “bug bounties.” Keep reading below to find out more about this increasingly common practice.

　　Ethical Hackers and Their Bug Bounties

　　You’ve probably heard of “black hat” hackers before. They’re the hackers who infiltrate security systems and databases for malicious purposes. But what about “white hat” hackers? Also known as “ethical hackers,” white hats are hired by companies and governments, under the request that they attempt a data breach on their security systems.

　　If the hacker is successful at finding a flaw in their system, they are rewarded with a so-called “bug bounty.” These sums of cash can be pretty lucrative, too, depending on who’s writing the check. Indeed, back in 2015, Apple offered a bug bounty of $1 million to anyone who could infiltrate their mobile operating system. Pretty decent payday, right? In these cases, white hat hackers often work together in small clusters, making them not so different from an office’s IT team.

What is White Hat Hacker？ ♂

　　You all know that Hacken aims to unite blockchain and IT businesses with the community of white hat hackers. However, what do you actually know about white hats? What hurdles do they experience during employment? How much money do they get? How people become white hat hackers?

　　We interviewed experienced white hat hacker to receive answers on our numerous questions.

　　Let’s first define the word hacker. In my opinion, this is a person with an IT background, sometimes a programmer, sometimes a developer, sometimes a tester with advanced skills in coding and computer science. Hackers study program/code to find the ways to manipulate it by interacting with another program/code.

　　Here’s a specific example: people fill out authorization forms every day on different websites to enter their user account information, and hackers are interested in getting access without filling out the login form. Alternatively, they can be looking for ways to break the form by using incorrect data or special characters.

　　White hackers differ from the Black one in that the former use existing knowledge and capabilities to improve a software product with the permission of a product owner. Black hackers aim to get personal benefits by stealing information from legitimate owners.

　　A white hacker is a person with strong moral principles. White hackers work in the field of cybersecurity and promote ethical activities within the sphere. They get many stimuli to maintain both their skill set and their integrity: they are officially rewarded by companies, receive community recognition, and get offers from top global companies. Black hackers are much less likely to receive more money but much more likely to get prison terms.

　　Hacking is not a special education but rather a lifestyle. A lot of people find themselves in this field after getting acquainted with computer games, others have a Computer Science background, and some come from the field of applied mathematics. In the end, these guys find a bug, dig deeper, get to enjoy the process, and want to continue looking for bugs in the future. Simplistically, I would say that self-education makes people programmers, and the curiosity of programmers makes them hackers.

　　The salary can vary greatly. There are bug bounty platforms where hackers are paid for finding bugs. For instance, Apple promises $200,000 for a serious (critical) bug in the code; Intel, Google, and Microsoft offer similar amounts. At the same time, hackers can work as technical specialists in almost all Internet-based companies. They can perform a routine pentest or automated testing of code. It is difficult to represent an average salary as a uniform number, but it is fair to say that most hackers do not receive less than $2-3 thousand a month. Perhaps, the most highly-valued experts get up to $ 100,000 per month, but there is no single way to answer this question.

　　The word hacker causes a negative reaction, especially from residents of CIS countries. People are not used to seeing ethical, or, in other words, white hat hackers who break down systems in order to test them for strength. In any way, it’s better to pay once and check your safety rather than later lose 5 or even 10 times more as a result of carelessness. People had an unfavorable opinion of lockpickers for a century, but, in the end, the producers of safes started to employ them. Metaphorically, white hackers know how to open digital safes with good intentions — people just need more time to realize the value they create.

　　At the moment, the demand for hacker services is generally quite low. People avoid employing hackers due to negative stereotypes. However, IT companies, in particular, the companies that deal with cybersecurity, are happy to hire ethical hackers in order to carry out various penetration tests, bug bounty programs, and other services. By large, modern hackers are outsourcers that work as independent experts.

　　First of all, it should be noted that while regular programmers know how to build, hackers not only know how to build but they also know how to break. Based on this distinction, hiring hackers enhances the security of a company’s systems. All in all, hackers have a unique way of thinking and can find bugs that wouldn’t be discovered by a regular expert. Hackers can also be good system architects since they know the insides of many systems.

　　That’s it! Now you know more who are white hats and what they are doing for a living. Ethical hackers break things to make them stronger. You can ensure in it yourself visiting HackenProof bug bounty platform where VeChain, Neverdie, and some other companies have submitted their programs to identify bugs and reward white hats.

Related questions

Hiring hackers as security consultants is a nuanced strategy that can offer significant benefits but also carries risks. Here's a structured analysis of the considerations, best practices, and alternatives:

1. Types of Hackers to Consider

• Ethical Hackers (White Hat): Professionals with formal training (e.g., CEH, OSCP certifications) who use their skills to identify vulnerabilities legally.
• Reformed Black/Grey Hat Hackers: Individuals with a history of unauthorized hacking but now operate ethically. Requires rigorous vetting to ensure trustworthiness.

2. Benefits

• Deep Technical Expertise: Hackers often possess unconventional problem-solving skills and knowledge of cutting-edge attack vectors.
• Proactive Defense: Simulate real-world attacks (penetration testing, red teaming) to uncover vulnerabilities before malicious actors exploit them.
• Cost-Effective Risk Mitigation: Early detection of flaws can prevent costly breaches and reputational damage.

3. Risks and Challenges

• Trust and Ethics: Past actions (e.g., criminal history) may raise concerns about reliability or conflicts of interest.
• Reputational Risk: Public backlash if the consultant’s background becomes controversial.
• Legal Compliance: Ensuring the consultant operates within legal boundaries (e.g., authorized testing, data privacy laws like GDPR).

4. Best Practices for Hiring

• Thorough Vetting:
  • Conduct background checks and verify references.
  • Prioritize certifications (e.g., OSCP, CISSP) and participation in bug bounty programs (HackerOne, Bugcrowd).
• Legal Safeguards:
  • Use contracts specifying scope, confidentiality, and adherence to laws.
  • Require non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and non-compete clauses.
• Controlled Engagement:
  • Start with short-term projects to assess skills and trustworthiness.
  • Limit access to sensitive systems initially.
• Ongoing Monitoring: Audit their activities and integrate them into a team environment for accountability.

5. Alternatives to Direct Hiring

• Cybersecurity Firms: Partner with established companies (e.g., CrowdStrike, Mandiant) that employ vetted ethical hackers.
• Bug Bounty Programs: Platforms like HackerOne allow organizations to crowdsource security testing without long-term commitments.
• Internal Training: Upskill IT staff in ethical hacking techniques to build in-house expertise.

6. Ethical and Legal Considerations

• Transparency: Disclose the use of third-party hackers to stakeholders if required (e.g., for compliance audits).
• Rehabilitation: For reformed hackers, ensure they demonstrate a clear commitment to ethical practices (e.g., via public contributions to cybersecurity communities).

7. Conclusion

While hiring hackers can enhance cybersecurity defenses, success depends on meticulous vetting, legal safeguards, and alignment with organizational values. For most companies, engaging certified ethical hackers through reputable platforms or firms is a lower-risk approach. For high-stakes environments (e.g., finance, critical infrastructure), blending internal expertise with external ethical hacking talent often strikes the best balance.

Final Note: The evolving threat landscape makes such expertise invaluable, but always prioritize legality, ethics, and accountability in your strategy.