Sandeep Madulkar, 28, goes to work just like everyone else. The only difference being that while others are paid for producing work, he makes the moolah by pulling apart computer security systems. Hyderabad-based Sandeep is a professional hacker who tests the security systems at all types of workplaces—from small businesses and multinational corporations to police departments.
It all started when Sandeep’s Orkut account was hacked. He was 18 and pursuing a postgraduate diploma in computer applications. Using Google, he discovered and learnt the art of hacking. He realised that his skills could be used for more constructive endeavours.
“I got curious when my account got hacked into. I began to explore but did not know there was potential for a career,” he says. “I felt this would be the most challenging field, and now I am glad I took such a decision,” he says about his entry into this field. In 2011, Sandeep founded his own cyber security and IT intelligence firm, Prediqnous, which has offices in Hyderabad, Warangal, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and even the UK.
But being an ethical hacker carries great responsibility too. An ethical hacker isn’t a cyber criminal, though he knows well the art and science of hacking. He exercises his hacking expertise prudently for ethical concerns. With cyber attacks on the rise, it is Sandeep’s job to expose a company’s vulnerabilities and prevent any sort of data breach. Every enterprise is different; they have different business objectives, different ways of operations, different needs, and hence different website traffic patterns.
“As an ethical hacker, I do not hack sites for malicious purpose. I hack them to check vulnerabilities. If I find any, I report it to the site owners and ask them to fix it as soon as possible to prevent themselves from attacks,” says the digital Bond.
Sandeep believes the best security is education and awareness. “Firms often don’t realise the value and importance of data.” Sandeep’s success has already been recognised by business experts in the IT security sector and the police department, who believe the key to ethical hacking, is to adopt the thinking of a hi-tech thief.
The first assignment that came Sandeep’s way was by accident too. “One day my father, MK Vishwanatham, mentioned a case that the police wanted some help in. A jilted boyfriend had created a fake email account and had circulated inappropriate mails to his ex-girlfriend’s relatives. I hacked the account, retrieved the IP address and gave it to the cyber crime cell. My job is only to hand over the IP address (in case of emails and online accounts), IMEI (for mobiles) and MAC address and serial number (for laptops) to the police. It helps them trace criminals,” explains Sandeep.
Apart from educational institutes, Sandeep also trains police personnel on the latest technology essential to solving cyber crimes. “At the awareness programmes, I mainly highlight some of the common loopholes in a system,” he says.
To-date Sandeep has hacked over 1,000 websites including big names, organisations and political leaders. “I have clients all over India that hire me to break in,” he says. However, he cannot divulge the names. “Some names of the websites will come as a surprise to you but as the information should be confidential, I will not reveal the site names,” he smiles.
These days, Sandeep is still hacking, but with the official approval of the companies he targets. Ask him whether he has been ever caught, he shrugs his shoulders and says, “To tell the truth, even to my surprise I have never been caught. I do not want to face this experience in my life. I am happy to serve my nation by preventing such attacks,” he beams.
