how to find a hacker for hire

Introduction：

1、CISO-to-CISO： How to Hire Ethical Hackers

2、Ethical Hacking 101： How to Hire a Hacker for Top Cyber Defense

CISO-to-CISO： How to Hire Ethical Hackers ♂

　　The cybersecurity threat landscape has never been more complex. Employers are in the midst of a difficult talent shortage. Oh, and it seems we’re headed into an economic downturn. With all this volatility and uncertainty, CISOs and other security team leaders are challenged more than ever to invest in the right people and technology to remain as proactive and agile as possible.

　　When it comes to personnel, a critical hiring decision for the modern security team is whether to employ in-house hackers. These ethical hackers (aka, “white hat” hackers) can include a range of individuals who possess the skills to conduct some type of penetration testing, be it on your applications, devices, and/or services, without the ill intentions of their malicious “black hat” counterparts. Ethical hackers may also commonly work as red or purple teamers—I know, it’s a lot of colors.

　　Ethical hackers also come from a range of backgrounds. There’s no one set place to go looking for them. While there are some institutions that provide certifications or offer courses, these are typically general in nature and may not apply to your needs. Also, a certification does not necessarily indicate the innate skills of each individual ethical hacker.

　　First and foremost, you should seek an individual with a firm understanding of the specific software or services they’ll be hacking, and they’ll also need to demonstrate familiarity with the right tools to execute said attacks. The more experience the better, generally speaking, but be prepared to pay a lot more for a veteran ethical hacker’s services—and be prepared to deal with someone more set in their ways and less inclined to try novel approaches.

　　Ethical hacking is about breadth and depth. Some hackers are limited to surface-level attacks but can deliver a broad range of capabilities. Other hackers are hyper-specialized in certain types of advanced attack methods. If you specifically want to test your applications, find an ethical hacker well-versed in that realm. If you’re looking to pen-test a variety of systems and devices across your environment, then you’ll want to seek more of a generalist.

　　Before you even begin interviewing candidates, do your diligence. Seek out information about the candidate in online forums and explore their experience in your domain so you can determine ahead of time if they’ll be a good fit for the tasks at hand. Don’t ever take them at their word, and if possible, put their skills to the test before you extend a job offer. And when you do interview prospective ethical hackers, favor those candidates who have come prepared themselves with a decent understanding of your company and your software and/or services. This will show they have the background and interest best suited to your needs.

　　Occasionally, talented ethical hackers might emerge in the legit job market without the most scrupulous of backgrounds. A former black-hat hacker may possess the exact firsthand knowledge and specific capabilities you’re looking for, but can they be trusted? I advise caution in considering former black hats. Each situation is unique, but be sure to carefully weigh the pros and cons before hiring anyone with a potentially criminal cyber past. You may also want to consult your business partners in legal and HR to avoid issues after the candidate accepts your offer.

　　To prepare for day one, start by identifying your high-priority targets—those areas you know may be most vulnerable or those items you most want to ensure are as secure as possible. Next, set up a process of challenge and reward for your new ethical hacker. I suggest finding ways to gamify the environment to keep them highly motivated and engaged as they go after your top targets.

　　Keep things open and transparent, and don’t overstructure or constrict their activities with too many rules. Remember, the malicious actors you’re racing against will have no such limitations. If there’s one rule you should insist upon, it’s “do no harm.” Give your ethical hacker(s) the freedom to carry out their own attacks as long as those actions don’t negatively impact your business, your digital infrastructure, or the services you provide.

　　Allow your new ethical hacker to use the tools they’re most comfortable with. A breach and attack simulation (BAS) solution should be at the top of your hacker’s arsenal wish list. The SafeBreach BAS platform is especially well-suited for a wide range ethical hacker and red-team activities, enabling greater efficiency and safety through automated, real-time, continuous security validation. And now included in all SafeBreach subscriptions is SafeBreach Studio, the industry’s first no-code platform allowing red teamers and ethical hackers of all skill levels to create, customize, and run sophisticated attacks in a simple drag-and-drop interface.

　　Finally, be prepared to act swiftly upon the outcomes of your ethical hacker’s exploits. Part of this will involve ensuring your wider organization and key stakeholders are pre-aligned around the goals of your new ethical hacking exploits, with a firm process and plan in place to take action on the results.

　　Another part of this will be to make sure that your ethical hacker keeps a clear record of their every tactic. Like a grade-school math teacher, ask them to show their work so you can quickly address all gaps discovered in their attack path. Then after remediation steps have been taken, have them run the attack again to be certain the fixes implemented removed all vulnerabilities and that the ethical hacker can no longer successfully breach the target.

Ethical Hacking 101： How to Hire a Hacker for Top Cyber Defense ♂

　　Even though the term “ethical hacking” was first heard sometime in the 1990s, this approach to cybersecurity existed long before the term was first used. Ethical hacking is when a hacker uses multiple techniques to examine the defense system of an organization by breaking into computers and systems as a way to prevent cyberattacks while following ethical guidelines. Unlike cybercriminals, these hackers, or white hat hackers, are legally allowed to break in to find vulnerable points in an organization’s systems. White hat hackers do not sabotage an organization’s security systems but invade the systems to find resolutions for potential weaknesses.

　　Similar to ethical hacking, penetration testing (or pentesting) enhances an organization’s security by testing for vulnerabilities or weaknesses to prevent cyberattacks. Unlike ethical hacking, pentesting does not require any certifications or experience to conduct tests. Additionally, pentesting only allows access to the specific systems that require testing, whereas ethical hacking has more open access to provide overall security to systems. As the two activities are very similar, those terms are no longer mutually exclusive in the world of cybersecurity.

　　In an article published by CSO Online, Doug Britton, CEO and Founder of Haystack Solutions, was featured along with some ethical hackers and several others who work in the industry to share the skills and qualifications needed in order to be a successful ethical hacker or pentester.

　　Ethical hackers include professionals providing services in pentesting or services and consulting in offensive security. Their main responsibility is to look at an organization’s security to find weaknesses that could potentially be exploited in their defense system.

　　Unlike other cybersecurity experts, ethical hackers do not necessarily have to be hired as an employee to provide services. They can work as consultants but might not receive as much information or insight into an organization’s systems as in-house employees.

　　Some additional responsibilities of an ethical hacker include:

　　searching public domains for information on potential attacks

　　analyzing an organization’s systems and firewalls to determine how threat actors can bypass them

　　conducting simulation on potential cybersecurity threats

　　training an organization’s employees so that they can spot and prevent cyberattacks

　　The great thing about cybersecurity careers, particularly for pentesting, is that it doesn’t require a specific degree. However, professionals interested in finding jobs as ethical hackers need to have particular qualities and the right mentality to succeed. Other than formal training or education, all ethical hackers must follow a code of ethics to ensure that they don’t break the law.

　　Here are some examples that industry professionals recommend to succeed as an ethical hacker:

　　Ethical hackers need to have familiarity with networks and operating systems, particularly in Linux, so they understand the intricacies of particular systems to be able to identify any potential flaws.

　　Since threats come from networks, it is vital to understand how networks work to determine when they become compromised.

　　Coding is a crucial part of ethical hacking since cybersecurity professionals need to be able to find malicious code or weaknesses in the code.

　　For ethical hackers to find weaknesses, they need to think creatively to figure out the mindset of a potential cybercriminal and problem-solve to figure out possible solutions. “At the core of the ‘soft skills’ is the ability to think off script,” says Doug Britton, CEO of Haystack Solutions in the CSO Online publication. “You need to be nimble, audacious, and creative.”

　　While much of ethical hacking is done independently, explaining risk and findings to all stakeholders is necessary to find ways to prevent future attacks or breaches.

　　Those interested in cybersecurity careers as an ethical hacker will be glad to hear that you don’t need heavy education or knowledge of everything in order to become a pentester or hacker. While there are systems that they should know, it is important to remember that knowledge of systems is teachable, but an interest in the subject will help professionals succeed.

　　Haystack Solutions can help develop a team to fight and prevent cyberattacks from hitting an organization through CyberGEN.IQ, which is the world’s only non-linguistic-based cybersecurity assessment that tests one’s aptitude and skills. CyberGEN.IQ assesses each individual to reveal their natural aptitude across the following four cognitive domains of cybersecurity:

　　Initiating

　　Responding

　　Real-Time

　　Exhaustive

　　The CyberGEN.IQ assessment will help organizations find the right talent and aid the cybersecurity hiring process. Furthermore, some other benefits of the CyberGEN.IQ assessment is that it can be deployed quickly and effectively with 97% accuracy in predicting job performance and mapping talent to job roles to help organizations hire the right candidates.

　　Hiring managers, HR departments, and recruiters can now quickly sort through hundreds of resumes to find the right cybersecurity expert by matching the test scores with the right job roles. CyberGEN.IQ is also beneficial for cybersecurity experts looking to make a career change or enter a career as a pentester as it helps them fully understand their talents and strengths to help find the right job for them. Cybersecurity professionals can also feel at ease knowing that no prior technical knowledge is required to take this assessment.

　　What is the Ethical Hacking Roadmap?

　　How to Prepare for a Cyber Security Career?

　　– An Understanding of Operating Systems and Databases

　　–? Familiarity with Networks

　　– Strong Knowledge of Application Coding

　　– The Ability to Think Unconventionally

　　– Aptitude for Properly Conveying Risk to Stakeholders

　　– Keen Interest in the Subject

　　How Can Haystack Solutions Help Combat Today’s Top Hackers ?

　　Haystack Solutions can help develop a team to fight and prevent cyberattacks from hitting an organization through CyberGEN.IQ, which is the world’s only non-linguistic based cybersecurity assessment that tests one’s aptitude and skills.

For Legal and Ethical Purposes:

Define Your Objective:
- Penetration Testing: To assess system security.
- Data Recovery: Legally retrieving lost or compromised data.
- Cybersecurity Consulting: Strengthening defenses against threats.
Seek Certified Professionals:
- Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH): Look for professionals certified by organizations like EC-Council.
- Cybersecurity Firms: Reputable companies offering penetration testing and security audits.
Use Trusted Platforms:
- Freelance Platforms: Upwork, Fiverr, or LinkedIn ProFinder (search for "ethical hacker" or "penetration tester").
- Bug Bounty Programs: Platforms like HackerOne, Bugcrowd, or Synack connect businesses with vetted security researchers.
Verify Credentials:
- Check certifications (e.g., CEH, OSCP), client testimonials, and professional affiliations.
- Ensure transparency in contracts, including scope, terms, and confidentiality agreements.
Consult Industry Resources:
- Professional networks like ISC2 or (ISC)2 for certified professionals.
- Local cybersecurity conferences or meetups for referrals.

Avoiding Scams and Illegal Activities:

Illegal Hacking Risks:
- Unauthorized access, data theft, or privacy violations are criminal offenses with severe penalties (fines, imprisonment).
- "Hackers for hire" on the dark web or unverified forums are often scams or law enforcement traps.
Red Flags:
- Requests for upfront payment via cryptocurrency.
- No verifiable identity or portfolio.
- Promises of guaranteed, instant results.

Alternatives to Illegal Hacking:

Account Recovery: Use official support channels (e.g., Google Account Recovery, Facebook Help).
Law Enforcement: Report cybercrimes to agencies like the FBI (IC3) or local authorities.
Digital Forensics: Hire licensed experts for legal investigations.

Final Advice:

Legal Compliance: Always ensure activities comply with laws like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).
Ethics First: Prioritize solutions that respect privacy and legality. If in doubt, consult a legal professional.

Remember: Hiring a hacker for illegal purposes is a crime. Protect yourself by choosing ethical, transparent professionals for cybersecurity needs.

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how to find a hacker for hire(How To Find A Hacker)