When it comes to cyber security, the 21st Century reality is that every organisation or business - big or small - is a potential target for cyber criminals or spies.
This is according to cyber security analyst, researcher and writer Keren Elazari, who believes: "If [society] adopts an ecosystem point of view and realises everyone is connected and dependent on one another, we can become stronger."
Elazari feels there are a number of ways in which organisations can adopt a "hacker mindset" and work with real hackers to improve their security stance and resilience to future attacks.
These are the top five operational security benefits Elazari proposes there are to be had from working with hackers:
1. Empowering of ecosystem, including private consumers.
2. Faster vulnerability discovery and remediation.
3. Red team assessment and training.
4. Collaboration against criminals.
5. Protection of the system that runs the modern world.
Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, Elazari is an analyst for Gigaom Research and has been a key member of the Israeli cyber security and hacking scene for more than 12 years. Since 2000, Elazari has been employed by Israeli security firms, government organisations, and Big 4 and Fortune 500 companies.
It is Elazari's aim to get corporations, governments and hackers communicating and collaborating more freely, so flaws can be repaired rather than exploited. Creating a conversation between those vastly different communities is challenging but necessary, she believes.
"The Internet is part of our lives and the people who can manipulate it have a lot of power and can use it for all kinds of causes, but the ones who do it for good have a lasting impact on the world and not just on their own bank account."
Elazari will present at ITWeb Security Summit 2015, which takes place at Vodacom World in Midrand next month.
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