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Ethical hacking, the Ankit Fadia way
Pavan Vangipuram
First Published : 16 Nov 2009 08:15:29 AM IST
HYDERABAD: Cameras flashing, film rolling, Ankit Fadia sits unfazed by the lavish media attention showered upon him. He answers questions with a coy smile and modesty beyond his years. At 24, he has accomplished more than many have in their entire professional careers. He is the author of more than 14 books, runs his own consulting agency, and has emerged as an India’s cultural icon.
Governments, newspapers, television shows and book publishers all want his ear, yet he takes it in remarkable stride. Humbly, he shrugs. “I’m used to it.” A rising star on the computer security scene, Ankit Fadia likes to call himself an “ethical hacker”, a computer specialist allied with the Government and police forces.He has assisted Police Departments in several Indian states, as well as Singapore, Malaysia, and the Central Forensics Laboratory in New Delhi. His accolades include the Indo-American Society Young Achiever Award, the IT Leader Award, and the MTV Pepsi Youth Icon. His computer security training program, Ankit Fadia Certified Ethical Hacker (AFCEH) started in 2006, and has trained more than 10,000 computer specialists across India.“Well, I got my first computer at age 10, and like most kids I wanted to use it to play games,” he explains of his early years, “I developed an interest in hacking at around age 12. It was like a forbidden fruit, a grey area. Something you weren’t really supposed to be doing.” By age 13, Fadia began writing a website on computer security and started his own Internet forum.He recounts his first foray into the world of hacking. “My first hack was somewhat unethical. When I was 13 my favourite publication was CHIP Magazine, and I wanted to see what I could do, so I defaced their website. Instead of going to the main page, people who accessed CHIP India saw a large portrait of me.” “I spent the whole weekend terrified that I was about to be arrested. On Monday I emailed the webmaster saying I was sorry about what I did, and let them know how I did it, and how they could prevent such an attack in the future.” CHIP was so impressed that they offered Fadia a job on the spot, not knowing that he was only 13.He laughs. “They told me to wait five years, until I was 18, and then I could work for them.” By then, however, Fadia had already gone far beyond magazine journalism.At age 14 he authored his first book, The Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking, and from there his career flew.Today, Fadia juggles his time between independent consulting, authoring, and media appearances. He was recently awarded a television show on MTV India called “What the Hack”, where he and a colleague inform the audience of the various tools at his disposal. He is also at work on a spy thriller which he also plans to make into a movie.“If you’re not a criminal, if you’re not a terrorist, then you have nothing to worry about,” Fadia says, “I think that sort of monitoring is fine.” In the end, Fadia expresses an unremitting faith in technology to improve the lives of citizens.“Technology is definitely changing things for the better,” he says, “Now a farmer can look up crop prices online - he doesn’t have to walk 100 kilometres for them.”
Ethical hacking, the Ankit Fadia way
Pavan Vangipuram
First Published : 16 Nov 2009 08:15:29 AM IST
HYDERABAD: Cameras flashing, film rolling, Ankit Fadia sits unfazed by the lavish media attention showered upon him. He answers questions with a coy smile and modesty beyond his years. At 24, he has accomplished more than many have in their entire professional careers. He is the author of more than 14 books, runs his own consulting agency, and has emerged as an India’s cultural icon.
Governments, newspapers, television shows and book publishers all want his ear, yet he takes it in remarkable stride. Humbly, he shrugs. “I’m used to it.” A rising star on the computer security scene, Ankit Fadia likes to call himself an “ethical hacker”, a computer specialist allied with the Government and police forces.He has assisted Police Departments in several Indian states, as well as Singapore, Malaysia, and the Central Forensics Laboratory in New Delhi. His accolades include the Indo-American Society Young Achiever Award, the IT Leader Award, and the MTV Pepsi Youth Icon. His computer security training program, Ankit Fadia Certified Ethical Hacker (AFCEH) started in 2006, and has trained more than 10,000 computer specialists across India.“Well, I got my first computer at age 10, and like most kids I wanted to use it to play games,” he explains of his early years, “I developed an interest in hacking at around age 12. It was like a forbidden fruit, a grey area. Something you weren’t really supposed to be doing.” By age 13, Fadia began writing a website on computer security and started his own Internet forum.He recounts his first foray into the world of hacking. “My first hack was somewhat unethical. When I was 13 my favourite publication was CHIP Magazine, and I wanted to see what I could do, so I defaced their website. Instead of going to the main page, people who accessed CHIP India saw a large portrait of me.” “I spent the whole weekend terrified that I was about to be arrested. On Monday I emailed the webmaster saying I was sorry about what I did, and let them know how I did it, and how they could prevent such an attack in the future.” CHIP was so impressed that they offered Fadia a job on the spot, not knowing that he was only 13.He laughs. “They told me to wait five years, until I was 18, and then I could work for them.” By then, however, Fadia had already gone far beyond magazine journalism.At age 14 he authored his first book, The Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking, and from there his career flew.Today, Fadia juggles his time between independent consulting, authoring, and media appearances. He was recently awarded a television show on MTV India called “What the Hack”, where he and a colleague inform the audience of the various tools at his disposal. He is also at work on a spy thriller which he also plans to make into a movie.“If you’re not a criminal, if you’re not a terrorist, then you have nothing to worry about,” Fadia says, “I think that sort of monitoring is fine.” In the end, Fadia expresses an unremitting faith in technology to improve the lives of citizens.“Technology is definitely changing things for the better,” he says, “Now a farmer can look up crop prices online - he doesn’t have to walk 100 kilometres for them.”