The recent rise in the usage of online devices and superfast 5g connection has resulted in high demand for ethical hackers. A record number of companies are offering to reward these hackers if they could attack their cybersecurity systems. The booming of the internet-connected devices (IoT) which includes smart home appliances and televisions is predicted to go uphill with the introduction of 5g and this, in turn, will result in high-security threats to the digital world.
Hacker One, the largest bounty hunter platform has paid its 800000 hackers around 87 percent more than the previous 12 months, where 200 of their bug-hunters have claimed more than $100,000 in prizes, and nine have been able to breach the million-dollar earnings mark. Organizations such as the Pentagon and banks such as Goldman Sachs to airlines, tech giants, and thousands of smaller businesses are now offering “bug bounty programmes“. Prash Somaiya, the security solutions architect at Hacker One, has commented that it is more efficient to open companies to include thousands of hackers with a diversity of skills than to employ one full-time security engineer for 80000 pounds. With a one-third increase in the payment rewards, a 59% increase in hackers signing up has been noted by the Company.
The 2016 Mirai cyberattack where the attackers hacked 300000 unsecured devices and directed them to disable even the government websites proves how proficiently the criminals find ways to utilize the digital devices. Apple has offered a reward of more than $1 million last year, for a hacker who successfully demonstrates “zero clicks” weaknesses which would allow someone to access the device without any input by the user.
The recent pandemic that resulted in the shifting of companies to online mode has also resulted in a surge in hacking activity. The 5g technologies even with their inbuilt security features are far more complex than their predecessors and might be subjected to more potential human error. In this context, the boom in the ethical hacker network will help in enhancing the level of security that will directly help in attracting a higher level of customers or a lower level of insurance premiums.
