48% of cyber industry would back fees for repentant black-hat hackers, survey claims

Nearly half of the people within the cybersecurity and other internet-related industries believe that illegal black hat hackers should face no prosecution and be rewarded with a commission if they return what they have stolen, research by Naoris has found.

The findings are somewhat controversial, given that this amounts to an endorsement of criminal activity, wherein hackers use vulnerabilities in blockchain technologies to illegally siphon off cryptocurrency from digital wallets and the like.

While 48% of people from the DeFi, CeFi, cybersecurity, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0 industries surveyed said they would support this policy, 38% were opposed, with 13% saying they were unsure.

Monica Oravcova, Chief Operating Officer of Naoris Protocol, is firmly in the no camp, warning such a move would amount to a seemingly quick fix that would eventually have negative repercussions for the decentralized finance and blockchain industries.

She said: “Letting hackers get away with their nefarious activities not only undermines the entire ethos of a decentralised financial system, but it also promotes behavior that fosters distrust, and it will not assist in the mass adoption of blockchain and decentralised systems to replace outdated centralised processes.

“Therefore, it cannot continue to be seen as something to be tolerated on any level. The fundamentals of a safe and equitable financial system don’t change. The premise that the only way to solve the hacking issue is to make the problem part of the solution is fatally flawed. It may fix a small crack for a short period of time, but the crack will continue to grow under the weight of the flimsy fixes and will result in a destabilised market.”