Facebook Hankers After Hackers to Solve Security Puzzle

If you’re looking for a job and making a mockery of digital security systems is your forte, the opportunity of your dreams in on the brink of being conjured up in the not-too-distant future. Facebook is encouraging computer geeks to take a plunge into its security systems, to find out the potential chinks in its armor. And those that do manage to come up with a breakthrough will be given a $500 reward, with the added incentive of having their name registered in the “helpful hackers” list. Most people are scrambling to stay safe from elements of computer monitoring and spy software for cell phone, so this particular news isn’t all that comforting, or is it?

Hackers’ Hat

The distinction between helpful and harmful hacker is highlighted through the color of the imaginary hat that they wear. “Black-hat” hackers seek to damage their targeted site, while “white-hat” hackers try to figure and solve the potential security issues with their targeted site. So, while the black-hats are a source of relentless nightmares for most companies, the white-hats come together to formulate the defense mechanism that should guard the company against potential security breaches. It’s like the quintessential superhero movie; both the good guy and the bad guy have superpowers, but it’s their intended usage that discriminates the two. What will happen is that security kinks will be weeded out through this practice and spyware or malware will not be able to do as much damage as computer monitoring software or any form of spy software that effects cell phones at large.

Common Practice

Having skilled hackers monitor a company’s security system is becoming increasingly common. Even companies like BT Managed Security Solutions offer its customers the service of hackers who would “attack” their system to find out if there are any issues with it. And now Facebook is seeking the services of white-hackers to cover its security bases, having made it clear that the hackers would need to stay within the realms of ethics and not demonstrate any malicious intentions. Facebook has also made it clear that it would need time to respond to the report of the hacker and hence, the reported faults will take time in getting publicized.

Opportunity of a lifetime

The 500 bucks are great, and so is the recognition that would accompany solving Facebook’s puzzle, but there is something a lot big at stake. Facebook, like many other leading companies including Google, have employed hackers of quite hefty wages to fortify their sites; and if you could prove your credentials in this Facebook initiative it could change your life completely, and forever. So basically, if you’re brilliant and you can prove it, your experience, your CV or whether you have a college degree or not, does not count.

Not the first time

If Facebook were to hire someone from its White hats program, it wouldn’t exactly be a bolt from the blue. Facebook hired George Hotz, the bloke that hacked the PlayStation 3 game console in June last year. “GeoHot” was sued by Sony, but Facebook saw enough potential in Hotz to cater to the social networking site’s security concerns.

Facebook is hardly the only company that has employed hacking masterminds to solve its insecurity. Johnny Lee, whose popularity skyrocketed on YouTube after he successfully hacekd the Wiimote controller for Nintendo Wii game console, was hired by Microsoft in 2009. And Ashley Towns, who released the first iPhone infectious virus, was signed up by an Australian mobile app developer.

The fact that some of the people hired by some of the biggest companies in the world were actually criminals before they were signed up, says everything you need to know about their desperation to unearth the best skilled people for their needs, when security is at stake. As things stand there are 115 contributors registered in Facebook’s White Hat program; but with the reward up for grabs being so huge, expect that number to hike up manifold.

Author Bio

Jane Andrew is the author of spy software for cell phone and Computer monitoring technology. She provides tips, tricks and news about computer and internet security. You can also follow her on Twitter @janeandrew01 to get the latest tips about computer security.