PRESS RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Bugcrowd, the chief in crowdsourced cybersecurity, at present launched its annual Contained in the Thoughts of a Hacker 2024 report, which analyzed responses from 1,300 hackers, also referred to as moral hackers and safety researchers on the Bugcrowd Platform. This report gives a complete overview of the hacking neighborhood and their views on matters on the forefront of cybersecurity.
AI adoption and integration has continued its speedy momentum inside the hacking neighborhood. Nonetheless, it continues to pose each advantages and unlucky cyber dangers. In response to the report, 82% of hackers imagine that the AI risk panorama is evolving too quick to adequately safe.
AI is the brand new assault vector
This 12 months’s report revealed a big shift within the perceived worth of AI in hacking in comparison with the earlier 12 months. Whereas solely 21% of hackers believed that AI applied sciences improve the worth of hacking in 2023, 71% reported it to have worth in 2024. Moreover, hackers are more and more utilizing generative AI options, with 77% now reporting the adoption of such instruments—a 13% improve from 2023.
Whereas the use and worth of AI options amongst hackers have elevated, the 2024 report reaffirms that hackers imagine AI has limitations. This 12 months’s survey revealed that solely 22% of hackers imagine that AI applied sciences outperform human hackers, and solely 30% imagine that AI can replicate human creativity. These outcomes are in step with these of the 2023 survey.
“There isn’t a denying that AI stays a powerful drive inside the hacking neighborhood, altering the very methods hackers are utilizing to search out and report vulnerabilities,” says Dave Gerry, CEO of Bugcrowd. “Bugcrowd is in a privileged place to work with a artistic, forward-thinking neighborhood that thrives on the slicing fringe of cybersecurity. Celebrating hackers is a part of the core of what we do at Bugcrowd, and these insights may also help companies perceive the distinctive worth this neighborhood brings to preventing in opposition to at present’s AI-driven cyberattacks.”
Key findings from the survey embody the next:
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93% of hackers agree that firms utilizing AI instruments have created a brand new assault vector
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82% imagine that the AI risk panorama is evolving too quickly to be successfully secured from cyberattacks
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86% imagine that AI has essentially modified their strategy to hacking
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74% agree that AI has made hacking extra accessible, opening the door for newcomers to hitch the fold
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Regardless of these threats, 73% of hackers reported being assured of their potential to uncover vulnerabilities in AI-powered apps
These findings level in the direction of the necessity for hackers in a company’s protection in opposition to at present’s cyberattacks. Though AI is introducing a brand new assault vector, nearly all of hackers nonetheless report confidence of their potential to uncover these vulnerabilities, emphasizing the necessity for organizations to lean on human ingenuity alongside safety tooling.
The Rise of {Hardware} Hacking
The report illuminated the rise of a shocking development: the rising prominence of {hardware} hacking. Previously 12 months, 81% of {hardware} hackers encountered a brand new vulnerability that they had by no means seen earlier than, and 64% imagine that there are extra vulnerabilities now than a 12 months in the past. Moreover, in response to the rise of AI, 83% of {hardware} hackers are actually assured of their potential to hack AI-powered {hardware} and software program, indicating a brand new potential avenue for exploitation. Whereas these acquainted with the sector could acknowledge this rising risk, solely 33% of hackers generally recognized {hardware} hacking as one of the vital useful specialties. Nevertheless, there’s a low barrier to entry, with 80% of {hardware} hackers being self-taught.
“{Hardware} hacking, or the exploitation of vulnerabilities within the bodily elements of digital units, was as soon as thought of a specialised discipline,” says Michael Skelton, VP of Safety Operations at Bugcrowd. “Nevertheless, the proliferation of cheap, weak good units has elevated curiosity in {hardware} hacking amongst each moral hackers and cybercriminals.”
A Profession Path for a New Technology
This 12 months’s survey outcomes additionally emphasised hacking as a viable and robust profession path, notably for youthful generations. Of the respondents, 88% had been between the ages of 18 and 34. Moreover, 67% indicated that they’re both hacking full-time or actively attempting to pursue a full-time hacking profession.
Moreover, hacking presents a profession path for self-motivated people who’re desperate to be taught new abilities. Whereas 73% of respondents reported having a university diploma or increased, solely 29% realized their hacking abilities by means of educational or skilled coursework. As a substitute, 87% reported studying by means of on-line sources, 78% by means of self-study, and 43% by means of trial and error. Hacking presents youthful generations an extremely fascinating profession with versatile hours, a distant work atmosphere, and with out the requirement of a school diploma to realize success.
Entry the Full Report
The survey included 1,300 respondents from 85 international locations, together with the US, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Egypt, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Australia. Constructing upon the success of earlier years, this 12 months’s version presents the newest demographic knowledge on the hacking neighborhood, an in depth evaluation of hackers’ day by day experiences, and direct insights into hackers’ journeys by means of intensive “Hacker Highlight” interviews. Readers of this report will higher perceive how hackers can cut back dangers for organizations, present one of the vital vital safety returns on funding, and speed up digital transformation. To obtain a duplicate of the Contained in the Thoughts of a Hacker 2024 report, click on right here.
About Bugcrowd
We’re Bugcrowd. Since 2012, we have been empowering organizations to take again management and keep forward of risk actors by uniting the collective ingenuity and experience of our prospects and trusted alliance of elite hackers, with our patented knowledge and AI-powered Safety Information Platform™. Our community of hackers brings various experience to uncover hidden weaknesses, adapting swiftly to evolving threats, even in opposition to zero-day exploits. With unmatched scalability and adaptableness, our knowledge and AI-driven CrowdMatch™ know-how in our platform finds the right expertise in your distinctive combat. We’re creating a brand new period of recent crowdsourced safety that outpaces risk actors.
Unleash the ingenuity of the hacker neighborhood with Bugcrowd, go to www.bugcrowd.com. Learn our weblog.