Is there such thing as an ethical hacker?

[Zynxensar]

E.g individuals hired by a civil authority to breach into criminal organisations’ networks

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Have you Googled the term? You can even get certified as an ethical hacker.

 

[Thrstypirate]

My cousin is an ethical hacker. Companies hire him to break into their systems and then fix the weaknesses.

 

[Genesis315]

Civil authority hires people who can breach onto my property with good cause and due process–they’re usually called police. I don’t see how it is any different breaching into someone’s network with the same conditions.

 

[Sarcelle]

My coworkers just attended a hackathon convention in Cincinnati all paid by our employer.

As you said, it helps to know how criminal hackers think and operate. Forewarned is forearmed.

 

[ZMystiCat]

Some are hired by companies to find vulnerabilities inside their own company’s systems. They then report those problems so that they can get fixed before a malicious hacker hits it.

Some individuals are finding problems in other people’s systems. They then alert the owner to the problem so that it gets fixed before a malicious person hits it. There are even companies paying these people for every security hole they can manage to find.

In both of these cases, the person is either hired to do something or is engaging in behavior that is generally considered to be good by these companies.

As for companies going after other companies (e.g. like how Google will seek out security flaws with Apple or Microsoft) or governments going after anyone, I guess that comes down to a case-by-case basis. What is the motivation? What is actually being done? What is the expected, desirable, and actual outcome?

 

[Quis_UtDeus]

It exists yes, it would be unethical if you went further than what you’re supposed to do and actually had any malicious intent.

There are actually websites that train that specifically for learning how to make a website secure and encourage you to hack their website (and nothing more, go any further and that’s law breaking) and they’ll put you on a hall of fame kind of thing.

It’s very interesting

 

[lilypadrees]

No, there isn’t. But many who have been caught hacking, gone to prison for it, served their time and have supposedly been rehabilitated will try to make you believe there is.

 

[TheAmazingGrace]

What about people who do it as a security testing service, like @Thrstypirate’s cousin?

 

[Quis_UtDeus]

There is though, you can get paid to find flaws and hack within a security system for a website. It closely relates to network security. You just have to know the limitations and it would be considered ethical.