Ethical Hackers Earn More Than $1 Million These Days.

You know what ethical hackers are and many of them are earning over $1 million these days.

I will tell you a little more about this subject, and the hacker definitions to better contextualize.

Prepared?

While many professions suffer from the current situation in the world, these professionals are enjoying this phase very well. 

Above all, this billing grew exponentially during the pandemic.

The term hacker generally refers to a person who uses his skills to gain unauthorized access to systems or networks. 

Beforehand the term hacker has been a divisive one, sometimes being used as a term of admiration for an individual who exhibits a high degree of skill. However, the term is most commonly applied to an individual who uses this ability for unethical purposes.

The reasons for hacking can be many: installing malware, stealing or destroying data, disrupting service and much more. Although many people hear the word hackers and think that we are talking about cybercriminals, but this is not quite the case. Remember there are ethical hackers.

But remember:

First of all, a hacker is just a person who uses computer programming and technical skills to overcome a problem.

Hacking can also be done for ethical reasons, such as trying to find software vulnerabilities so they can be patched.

As well as ethical hacking it involves the lawful use of hacking techniques for beneficial versus malicious purposes. 

There are many different types of hackers and many of them are earning over $1 million.

 Come on, I’ll explain better…

 white hat

 Ethical hackers are earning over $1 million using penetration testing and other tactics to find software vulnerabilities and other security weaknesses so they can be fixed.

 Above all, they are usually legally allowed to hack into certain computer systems to find fault with companies and government organizations.

 That is, an ethical hacker is a computer security expert or ethical programmer who works with organizations or groups of ethical hackers to find cybersecurity vulnerabilities in order to fix, not take advantage of. 

 You may also have heard of hacktivists, who use technology to spread social, political, ideological or religious messages. 

 In this sense, ethical hackers can also be people involved in the software side of the creator culture. 

 These hackers use programming and electronics to create art, music, apps or innovative solutions to challenges.

 If the word hacker brings to mind a cybercriminal who uses his programming experience to break into corporate and private systems to steal data. So this is a black hat hacker, so let’s get to the definition.

 black hat

 These are hackers who intentionally breach computer security for a variety of reasons, such as theft, fraud, corporate espionage, and even old-fashioned malice. 

 So the terms white hat and black hat come from the genre of western movies in America.

 That’s because the heroes of these stories usually wore white hats, while the villains wore black hats. 

 gray hat

 In addition to these two, there are also grey hat hackers whose goals are somewhere in between. 

 That is, many of them are freelancers looking to profit by exposing vulnerabilities in an organization’s security framework.

  And with that, they offer to do the repair for a fee.

Hacker vs. cracker who is earning more than $1 million.

 The term hacker was first used in the 1960s to describe a programmer or an individual who, in an era of highly constrained computing resources.

 It can increase the efficiency of computer code in a way that removes, or hacks, excess machine code instructions from a program. 

 Over the years, it has evolved to refer to a person with an advanced knowledge of computers, networks, programming, or hardware.

 For many tech professionals, the term hacker is best applied to those who use their skills without malicious intent.

 But over time the term has been applied to people who use their abilities maliciously. 

 To counter the tendency to label skilled technologists as criminals, the term cracker was proposed for criminal hackers. With the intention of removing the stigma of being labelled a hacker.

 Be that as it may in the hacker-cracker framework, hackers are those who seek to identify flaws in security systems and work to improve them. 

 Including security experts tasked with locating and identifying flaws in systems and fixing those vulnerabilities. 

Crackers, on the other hand, are intent on breaching computer and network security to exploit these same flaws for their own benefit.

Using the term cracker over the years, the distinction between hackers with different motivations is most commonly referenced by the use of white hat, gray hat, or black hat. 

In general usage, the cracker did not find much media coverage.

The effect of social isolation is making ethical hackers earn more than $1 million.

While the social distancing caused by the coronavirus pandemic stimulated virtual scams , it also triggered the search for bugs in online services. With that, ethical hackers started earning over $1 million in cash rewards. 

According to the HackerOne platform, at least nine ethical hackers have made more than $1 million reporting security issues in recent months.

HackerOne is a Silicon Valley-based company that partners with the global hacker community to track security issues for its customers through so-called bug bounty programs.

Before vulnerabilities can be exploited by criminals.

Broadly speaking, hackers are those who intend to exploit a computer system and wreak havoc.

But to those who look for vulnerabilities in a system and then inform the operator in exchange for a cash reward.

A growing number of companies are working with HackerOne to launch bug bounty programs so that flaws can be identified and fixed.

Thus removing a potential threat to your business.

According to the company, the free time for bug hunters increased during quarantine.

Data shows that about 38% of the platform’s users have increased their workday since the beginning of the pandemic.

Soon the company that employs 22,000 hackers said the number of security issues found in 2020 was double the previous year.

Some ethical hackers managed to greatly increase their earnings and some more than $1 million.

Let’s take a look at the values…

HackerOne and YesWeHack’s main service is the connection between companies and security experts willing to find bugs. 

In fact, an expert from Romania started working with online security at HackerOne two years ago. And even with little time in his career, he managed to raise US$ 2 million in services.

While Katie Paxton-Fear, a professor at the University of Manchester, revealed that she made about $16,000 a year from bug hunters, just in her spare time.

In its latest annual Hacker Report, HackerOne reveals how some ethical hackers are doing.

In fact, just last year, ethical hackers made a staggering $40 million reporting vulnerabilities to programs run by HackerOne. 

A big increase from the $19 million earned in 2019. 

Thus, nine hackers have earned more than $1 million dollars on the platform since 2019, and one hacker has surpassed the $2 million mark in 2020.

More and more ethical hackers from all over the world are signing up for bug bounty programs.

HackerOne has seen a 63% increase in the number of hackers reporting crashes in the last year alone. 

In May 2020, HackerOne hit the mark of $100 million paid to hackers for vulnerability reports, of which 50,000 were made in the last year.

The company predicts that hackers will earn a total of $1 billion in bug bounties over five years.

Good hackers can count on BugBase, the Indian Bug Bounty platform. Learn more here.

Rewards vary depending on the severity of the issue.

While Google has already spent over $3 million on bounty for bug hunters.

But it doesn’t stop here…

Payouts for reported vulnerabilities can vary enormously, as they largely depend on how dangerous the bug can be. 

Analyzing the severity to a company’s computer systems and general operations if it is exploited by hackers with malicious intent. 

For an example of how payment systems work with bug bounty programs, we can look at a Sony operator that invites ethical hackers to research vulnerabilities on its PlayStation platform.

As per 2020 data, payouts start at $100 for a low-ranking vulnerability discovered in Sony’s gaming platform. With more valuable tiers offering minimum payouts of $400, $1,000, and $3,000.

So discover a low-rated vulnerability on the PlayStation 4, for example, and you should be paid a minimum of $500.

But it doesn’t stop there, there are still higher rewards in the minimum amount of $2,500 and $10,000. 

Soon the most critical vulnerabilities, in turn, will result in a payout of at least $50,000.

How do you feel about following a trajectory like this and being an ethical hacker who makes $1 million?

You want to be an ethical, $1 million hacker, then start building your career with Hackzone.

The best security professionals seem to have a passion for technology and to practice their craft on their own to hone their skills. 

In principle, people who want to learn and pursue a new career can use certifications to build their knowledge. 

And you know what the best part is?

Certifications are seen as building a knowledge base.

The Certified Ethical Hacker CEH certification is ideal for beginners among international certifications. 

The main focus of the CEH is the technical aspects of information security. 

It definitely starts by building a knowledge of network protocols and hardware before delving into vulnerability assessments and network penetration. 

In other words, good security knowledge starts with a solid understanding of the fundamentals. Which makes the CEH as applicable to system administrators as it is to penetration testers.

The certification well covers the tools used every day by security professionals.

The CEH certification is introductory enough that IT members can use it to gain insights into the world of information security.