Cops and Robbers: Cybercriminals Stopped by Ethical Hackers

Chloe Cheng

After a long day of hacking through the bank security system, sprinting away with bags full of thick stacks of hundred-dollar bills, getting caught by the police, and having to get bailed out, robbers finally get to rest their heads at night and dream about their greatest fantasy. Maybe it is swimming in a room filled with riches like Scrooge McDuck, or better yet, an ATM dispensing dollar bill after dollar bill of cash without a bank card or an identity PIN. On the brightly lit stage of a computer security convention in 2010, Barnaby Jack rose to fame as he showcased his hacking skills on an ATM, easily retrieving its safeguarded possession of stored cash (Peterson). However, Barnaby Jack was not a thief, and he was not showing people how to become robbers either, for no one wants to have to physically steal from the bank when people fall for scams online so often. Instead, he demonstrated how easy it is to hack a computer program, even with security systems (Peterson). Barnaby Jack was a hacker, not the hackers who wear white masks to conceal their identity while they steal people’s information, but an ethical hacker. 

Often, hackers have malicious intentions and are criminals wanted for their expertise in computer science, hiding behind the sanctuary of the screen. Breaking security codes, spreading viruses, and stealing personal information for identity theft are all common assumptions that come to people’s minds regarding what hackers do (Chai). Purplesec, a cybersecurity organization in the United States, found that cybercrimes had a 600% increase since the COVID-19 pandemic, most likely due to an increase in the number of hackers using their skills to harm others  (“The Complete Guide to Ethical Hacking”). Nevertheless, an ethical hacker is someone who specializes in computer science and uses their hacking skills to help find weaknesses in programs and help increase security. Unlike hackers who are incentivized by harm, ethical hackers intend to identify and correct loopholes in a program. Many companies hire ethical hackers to strengthen their systems and prevent criminal hackers from accessing their information (“The Complete Guide to Ethical Hacking”). 

Although cybercriminals are becoming more frequent today, due to people’s increased reliance on the internet, some hackers utilize their skills for positive purposes. Barnaby Jack discovered a potential murder method by hacking into the program of an insulin dispenser, allowing him to pump a deadly amount of insulin into the body without being close to the victim (Peterson). Instead of using this discovery to quietly murder someone who did not get along with him, he helped save lives by eliminating another method of intentionally killing someone without getting caught. When John Keatley Kaminsky was twenty-six, living with little money to spare, he discovered a loophole for anyone to access and transfer millions of dollars from international banks (Davis). Unlike most people, Kaminsky did not use this to his advantage by stealing, but used his newfound information to help strengthen the security of banks. While hacking is a dangerous profession that grants hackers many opportunities to use the weaknesses they find in a program to their advantage, on the rare occasions when companies find someone with strong moral values, hacking can prevent many negative consequences from occurring. 

Many people overlook how powerful hacking into a computer program can be. These cybercriminals can only be caught by someone with an equal set of skills. An ethical hacker is one of the few professionals who can police these modern-day robbers who commit theft easily from their bedrooms, behind a computer. Although the general public has a misconception that all hackers intend harm, companies worldwide continue to search for ethical hackers to help protect their data. 

Work Cited:

Anoriega. “The Complete Guide to Ethical Hacking.” University of Denver Boot Camps, 

3 Aug. 2022, bootcamp.du.edu/blog/the-complete-guide-to-ethical-hacking/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

Chai, Wesley, and Linda Rosencrance. “What Is a Hacker?” Security, TechTarget, 12 

May 2021, www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/hacker.Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

Davis, Joshua. “Secret Geek A-Team Hacks Back, Defends Worldwide Web.” Wired, 

Conde Nast, 24 Nov. 2008, www.wired.com/2008/11/ff-kaminsky/?currentPage=all. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

Peterson, Andrea. “Rip Barnaby Jack: The Hacker Who Wanted to Save Your Life - The 

...” The Washington Post, The Washington Post, 29 July 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/07/29/rip-barnaby-jack-the-hacker-who-wanted-to-save-your-life/ Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.