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If You Don't Like Security Guys, Call a Hacker
Welcome
Many years ago on a school field trip to the local police station, I noticed a bumper sticker on a cop's cruiser that read: "If you don't like Cops, next time you're in trouble call a Hippie." Of course, I understood the purpose and the message behind the sticker, but what I didn't understand was the generic hostility toward an entire group of people who could, at some point, prove useful to law enforcement and its effort to thwart crime. And although the ubiquitous peace and love hippie credo was all encompassing, there were a few bad eggs with whom law enforcement personnel weren't happily acquainted. I assume those "black hat" or perhaps "black headband" hippies comprised a minority of the worldwide hippie community, or commune, if you like. Similarly, all hackers aren't lawbreakers. Most, in fact, are law-abiding citizens who either are curious or who get a thrill of walking that fine line between ethical and illegal. In either case, my assumption is that even the line walkers will help catch their black-hatted counterparts – given the proper motivation, of course.
A day rarely passes without reading about a new hack, a new breach, or a new dump of private information. Hackers, it seems, are always one step ahead of our best security efforts. Shouldn't we embrace those who live in the deep web and harvest their knowledge for good? While I'm only comparing hippies to hackers to illustrate a point, the analogy of partnering with insiders who can help bring the really bad guys to justice is a valid one in either case.
Now, I'm not talking about Edward Snowden here. I'm talking about real hackers – people who have true knowledge of how to compromise systems, to expose data, and to maintain a stealth presence inside your network. I know that a few companies have hired hackers that have infiltrated their perimeters in the past, but that's still the exception more than the rule. My personal opinion is that I'd rather
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