Why Hackers And Hacking Are Often Misunderstood
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What are common misconceptions about hacking and hackers? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Jobert Abma, Co-founder of HackerOne, on Quora:
Once seen as only villains, hackers today are also lauded as heroes, discussed daily in the media, and portrayed by Hollywood — anything but ignored. Once envisioned as a hoodie-wearing guy in his mom's basement is now the Russian spy or a teenage nerdy genius.
The perceptions of hackers are changing. According to proprietary research, two thirds of Americans (64%) think that not all hackers act maliciously, 4 in 5 Americans (82%) believe hackers can help expose system weaknesses to improve security in future versions and millennials (ages 18-34) are most likely to believe that hacking is a legitimate profession (57% vs. 31% of those aged 35+).
Yet the image of the power-hungry bearded man in a hoodie in his parent’s basement remains, with the top Google images for the search “hackers” remaining a hooded man in front of a blue or green glowing wall of ones and zeroes. In reality, approximately 90% of hackers are under 35. Top earners on HackerOne are making up to 40 times the median annual wage of a software engineer in their home countries. Some hackers have been awarded $100,000 for one critical vulnerability, and so far this year four have made it to over $1M on HackerOne alone.
Of course, these big numbers are appealing, but the motivation to join is not solely centered around bounties. Nearly three-times as many hackers (40.52%) begin hacking to learn and contribute to their career and personal growth, and nearly as many hack to have fun (13.53%) as those who do it for the money (14.26%). There is also a genuine desire to help the internet become more secure (9.31%).
Hackers can be found in over 150 countries around the world. While India, the United States, Russia, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom are the top locations where hackers reside (representing over 51% of all the hackers in the HackerOne community) six African countries had first-time hacker participation in 2018. Hackers from India and the U.S. alone account for 30% of the total community. That is a shift from 2018 when those two countries claimed 43%, demonstrating increasing globalization among its members.
This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter and Facebook. More questions:
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What are common misconceptions about hacking and hackers? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Jobert Abma, Co-founder of HackerOne, on Quora:
Once seen as only villains, hackers today are also lauded as heroes, discussed daily in the media, and portrayed by Hollywood — anything but ignored. Once envisioned as a hoodie-wearing guy in his mom's basement is now the Russian spy or a teenage nerdy genius.
The perceptions of hackers are changing. According to proprietary research, two thirds of Americans (64%) think that not all hackers act maliciously, 4 in 5 Americans (82%) believe hackers can help expose system weaknesses to improve security in future versions and millennials (ages 18-34) are most likely to believe that hacking is a legitimate profession (57% vs. 31% of those aged 35+).
Yet the image of the power-hungry bearded man in a hoodie in his parent’s basement remains, with the top Google images for the search “hackers” remaining a hooded man in front of a blue or green glowing wall of ones and zeroes. In reality, approximately 90% of hackers are under 35. Top earners on HackerOne are making up to 40 times the median annual wage of a software engineer in their home countries. Some hackers have been awarded $100,000 for one critical vulnerability, and so far this year four have made it to over $1M on HackerOne alone.
Of course, these big numbers are appealing, but the motivation to join is not solely centered around bounties. Nearly three-times as many hackers (40.52%) begin hacking to learn and contribute to their career and personal growth, and nearly as many hack to have fun (13.53%) as those who do it for the money (14.26%). There is also a genuine desire to help the internet become more secure (9.31%).
Hackers can be found in over 150 countries around the world. While India, the United States, Russia, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom are the top locations where hackers reside (representing over 51% of all the hackers in the HackerOne community) six African countries had first-time hacker participation in 2018. Hackers from India and the U.S. alone account for 30% of the total community. That is a shift from 2018 when those two countries claimed 43%, demonstrating increasing globalization among its members.
This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter and Facebook. More questions:
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