The Millionaire Hacker
Vocabulary
| bug (2) | bounty (2) | complex (2) |
| legit | legitimate | break/broke/broken |
| hunt | code (2) | big/bigger/bigggest |
| flaw | reward | bounty hunter |
| fill | dream (2) | find/found/found |
| fill up | account (2) | platform (2) |
| look at | private (2) | fast/faster/fastest |
| list | worth it | spend/spent/spent |
| worth | out there | give/gave/given |
| protect | six pack (2) | feel/felt/felt (2) |
| typical | type (2) | make/made/made |
| excited | break into | good/better/best |
| look at | security | safe/safer/safest |
| tempt | average | discover (2) |
| skill | bad action | pay/paid/paid |
| jail | times (2) | win/won/won |
| own | race (2) | mainstream (2) |
| 50/50 | do/did/done |
Video
Transcript
Santiago, Hacker: “Hi, I’m Santiago, and I’m a hacker.”
The Bug Bounty Life
Santiago has got rich breaking into the world’s biggest websites . . .
and it’s all totally legit.
He’s the world’s top bug, bounty hunter.
Bugs are security flaws in codes. Santi finds them; bounties are the rewards he gets for discovering them. Santi is the first hacker to make a million dollars on the world’s biggest bug bounty platform, HackerOne.
Joe Tidy, BBC News: “Did you find your bank account sort of filling up faster than you spent it?
Santiago, Hacker: “Yes, I did spend it.”
Joe Tidy, BBC News: “So, you’re now looking at the code on this website. And you can see, can you, just with your eyes, you can see where there’s problems?”
Santi, Hacker: “Yes, the codes. I can see the problems, if there are any.”
Joe Tidy, BBC News: “Can you give us a list of the companies that you’ve helped?
Santi, Hacker: “I’ve helped Twitter, 10 Cent, private companies, and the USA government.”
He’s found over 1,600 bugs, protecting millions of people.
Joe Tidy, BBC News: “Do you feel like you’re making the internet better?”
Santi, Hacker: “Yes, of course. With each bug I find, I make the internet safer.”
There are hundreds of thousands of good hackers out there. Just look at all the companies that are happy to pay them.
Santi, Hacker: “We are in the center of the complex; it’s a private village where you have your own security. It’s more expensive than normal places, but it’s worth it.”
Santi is not your average hacker. He’s the first one I’ve met with a six-pack.
Santi, Hacker: “I don’t like to be the typical hacker from the movies with long hair and glasses. I like being a normal guy, but the hacking type.”
Joe Tidy, BBC News: “Have you ever been tempted to use your skills for bad actions?”
Santi, Hacker: “At the beginning, yes. I was a little tempted — but before you make a bad action, because you can go directly to jail.
Joe Tidy, BBC News: “What was it that stopped you? Is that because of the bug bounty system?”
Santi, Hacker: “Yes, the bug bounty system stopped me from doing bad actions.”
Joe Tidy, BBC News: “Do you get excited by money?”
Santi, Hacker: “Of course, I like the money, of course. But I also like hacking. It’s a great combination.”
Back in Buenos Aires, Santi just wants to live a normal life, even though he earns 40 times more than the average Argentinean.
Santi, Hacker: “My real dream is to own my own company, a big company that everyone knows.”
Bug bounties are going mainstream, but Santi says his work will never be done. There will always be another bug to find.
Santi, Hacker: “Well, it’s like a 50/50 race, but I hope that I will win the race.”
Questions
Bug. Santiago has gotten rich by breaking into bank accounts and siphoning off funds. True or false?
Virus, Malware. Is he a pest controller, coming to people’s homes and using chemicals to get rid of termites, cockroaches, fleas?
Trojan Horse. Santi works with a team that takes apart, diagnoses and fixes computer hardware and devices. Is this right or wrong?
Delete Files. Does Santiago live in Silicon Valley? Does he work full-time, permanently at a tech company in Silicon Valley? Is Santi Indian? Does he live in Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore)?
Breach. Does he only work for one company or client?
Firewall. Is Santi wanted by the authorities? Do some people hate Santi?
Anti-Virus Software. Santi spends virtually all his time sitting in front of a computer. Is this correct or incorrect? Describe his lifestyle.
Corrupt Files. Soon all bugs will be solved. Do you agree?
Spyware. Do you experience glitches on your device, operating system, software, internet browser, etc?
Phishing. How serious of a problem are computer and network problems? Describe some of your experiences and frustrations.
Data Theft. What are the causes of hardware, software, computer system, browser and platform problems?
Ransomware. What might happen in the future?
Backdoor. What could or should people, tech companies and authorities do?
