Companies hire hackers to strengthen their IT security. Due to the nature of the hacking profession, finding a hacker for hire can be a daunting task.
In this article, you will learn how to hire a professional hacker for your company without having to search the depths of the dark web.
What is Hacking?
Before you hire a hacker, you will have to understand what exactly they do. Hackers are individuals who identify and exploit the weakness of digital systems to compromise them.
Hacking as a skill may be for negative or positive reasons. Despite the popular notion that hacking is mostly for malicious purposes, companies hire hackers to boost their cybersecurity.
The significant difference in hackers can be identified between black hat hackers and white hat hackers. Black hat hackers infiltrate computers through devious means, steal information, and usually leave networks infected with viruses. Conversely, white hat hackers work with companies to find potential exploits in their systems to prevent other hackers from taking advantage of them.
If you are hiring hackers for your company, you will then be looking for ethical hackers. So, how do you hire a professional hacker?
How to Hire A Hacker
You can hire a hacker without visiting the dark web where most people assume they lurk. Currently, there are many professional hackers available for hire. Most top of the line ethical hackers have the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification.
Before you hire a hacker, you will have to put together guidelines for your new employee. You have to be clear on what exactly you want to achieve by hiring a hacker.
Firstly, you should verify the background of the hacker to confirm that they are indeed ethical hackers. This is to prevent a possible scenario where you hire a security professional who doesn’t have the companies interest as a priority.
Secondly, based on the task at hand, you may need a hacker with more experience in a particular field like penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, or security protocols.
An interview should help you assess the skill set of the potential hacker by asking essential questions like, “What type of hacking are you best at?”, “Do we require an external penetration test?” or “Do we need an application security review?”
Aside from hiring hackers to work on your product directly, you can also hire them as security analysts or consultants to supplement your existing security team.
Further, the terms of the agreement between yourself and the newly hired hacker must be well stipulated to prevent complications moving forward.
How Much Should It Cost?
The amount of money you pay for a hacker depends on the nature of work and duration for which the work will be done.
For as low as $5, you could hire a hacker on the popular freelance website like Fiverr. However, research conducted by INFOSEC suggests that the average annual salary of an ethical hacker is $71,331.
This number may seem high, but considering the frequency of data breaches and its impact on online businesses, ethical hackers deserve their paychecks.
For instance, the average data breach in 2018 led to a loss of over $3.8 million. This trend has led to more projects hiring hackers in recent times.
In case you are working on a low budget or lack the approval to hire a professional hacker, you may employ a penetration tester to help you secure your online systems.
Where to Find Professional Hackers For Hire
There are several platforms where you can find professional hackers to improve your cybersecurity. Here is a list of such platforms:
Dedicated Ethical Hacking Groups
Also, some cybersecurity solution companies provide hacking services in addition to other services.
Freelance Sites to Find Hackers
Hiring Black Hat Hackers
Hiring a black hat hacker to gain access to an individual or company’s computer system is a crime, and this publication does not condone criminal behavior.
However, the reality is that this is a more common occurrence than you may expect. Most individuals and companies that hire black hat hackers find them on the dark web. Interestingly enough, some black hat hackers have come out of hiding on the dark web into the open to accept gigs.
Some website provides access to hackers that perform questionable and unethical activities such as gaining unapproved access to email accounts or mobile phones and distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks.
Law enforcement agencies are also clamping down on these sites to protect internet users. For example, the U.S Department of Justice shut down 15 domains that were selling DDOS attacks in 2018. The FBI has also introduced measures to prosecute black hat hackers as well as the individuals who purchase their services.
Final Thoughts
The demand for ethical hackers is in high demand. As a result, ethical hacking will become an increasingly profitable career in the future.
Check out our article on Top 10 Best Hacking Books for Ethical Hackers in 2020 to learn more about how to become a professional hacker.
