Want to be a legal Hacker? Take a few tips from this 15 year old from Gujarat. He has won more than 100 Hall of Fames including Google, Microsoft, Apple and many other companies.

Cyber Security Threats

It is alarming, scary, and worrying to think that someone can hack into our privacy. Threats in Cyberspace are getting higher in the quantity that by 2025, jobs related to Cybersecurity is expected to grow by 3.5% compared to other tech-related jobs. The urgency to implement solutions for vulnerabilities has created an incredible demand for cyber security professionals which is why MNCs like Google, Twitter, Facebook, and a lot more have dedicated teams assigned to fix security issues in their own products. The cash-flow opportunities for independent researchers are huge as well which is why it attracts talented people in the industry or even young and aspiring professionals just like Kirtikumar Anandrao Ramchandani, a 15-year-old Cybersecurity enthusiast from Gujarat.

  

Where did it Begin?

When Kirtikumar was just 8-years old, his craze for computers was recognized and all he would do is try out computer related activities like programming and gaming. One time, when he was playing a game called "Subway Surfers", he got intrigued with what his friend did to get unlimited coins in the game which made him discover how to hack it through extensive research. By the time he was 13 years old, he understood how hacking tools like remote access trojans (RAT) work and this made him crave more interest in the subject.

  

Recognising the BEAST!

To recognise the beast in any software, all this teenager needed was a simple glance. It is a gift which has been enhanced further by research and hard work. At 15 years of age, he has over hundreds of prizes given by international companies and organizations like Microsoft, Apple, Google and many others for the reason of helping them secure their systems through responsible disclosure.

Selling Hacking skills

Selling your skills is the key to every success. Kirtikumar still remembers he sent about 23 different reports to multiple organizations and all of them got rejected while having no clue why. A friend told him that he had to describe and elaborate on the vulnerabilities and findings for companies to accept the reports. After trying again, a report was created about a bug found in Mahara's product and was immediately accepted with a CVE-ID listed under his name. From then on, it was a smooth sail for Kirtikumar.

How does it help you and me?

Most if not all software applications are never 100% full-proof and they are bound to have bugs and loopholes. Hackers are like hawkers who are constantly testing and checking if there are flaws and if one is found, a responsible hacker immediately reports the findings to the company involved. These companies further rectify the issues and implement patches which then benefit all of the end users.

Aspiring to be a Hacker?

To share some tips, young aspiring cyber security enthusiasts can learn and follow in his footsteps. First is to understand the core concepts of information security specifically the "CIA" triad which means Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. He categorically says that it is beyond a computer science degree and is not only about basics. Continuous reading and learning is a must for the subject to keep updated. Moving from comfort zones should also be expected like transitioning from the operating system Windows and go to the road less travelled of Linux and Unix.

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- Learning about computer networks should also be a plus. This will make a person be comfortable with routers and configurations.

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- Needless to say, involvement in the community is very helpful too.  This may be through conferences, technical discussion boards, forums, or even social media groups.

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- Attending boot camp or taking professional training like through EC-Council's CEH or even through Cybrary and climb up the ladder to get more challenged like taking Offensive Security's Penetration Testing with Kali Linux. Not only that this earns a badge of honor but it expands the level of knowledge about the subject.

Apart from everything else, it is essential that the interest in the subject exists because this makes the person continue despite having failures down the road.

 

Unconditional family support

Kirtikumar is quick to acknowledge that without the unconditional love and support from his parents and his siblings, it would have been rather difficult to achieve what he has today.  His elder sister Tarika has been a great inspiration while the younger brother Indra is in awe of him. Dream without boundaries is his parent's mantra.

Any future plans?

When he is not studying or working on finding flaws, he enjoys a game of cricket and his favourite video games like clash of clans or is tucked away reading a book.  He plans to earn a dual degree - Chartered Accountancy and Law.

Kirtikumar signs off: “I want to make India more secure and a better place to live”. Youngsters interested are more than welcome to write to him at kirtiar15502@gmail.com

Read and know more about his work at the links...

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6426871555745251328 ( IoT Product One can Turn OFF and ON from anywhere in the world)