Hacker Industry on The Rise As Companies Like Microsoft and Apple Pay Top Dollar To Find Security Flaws

Things are getting a little hairy on the wild, wild Internet. With privacy fears at an all-time high and the whole Snowden episode stirring up worries that governments can easily convince companies to hand out just about any digital information in the world, the mere notion of whimsically cruising the Internet is becoming a little frightening for some. Now, a NYT report is shedding light on two Italian hackers who spend their days sifting through code in software used by hundreds of millions of people. Why? Because governments all over the globe are evidently willing to pay top-dollar to know about exploits, in order to attack and sift through databases on enemy soil.


It almost sounds like a plot from a video game, but it's very real. The NYT is even suggesting that the National Security Agency is a client, as are the Revolutionary Guards of Iran. The report suggests that business for these types of previously undiscovered hacks is "booming," which is a scary scene. We're all better off if hackers find these holes and report them to companies in order for a patch to be released before the hack is unveiled. If these secrets are being sold to axis nations, we're all under more risk.

If you had any lingering doubts that we live in a slightly mad world, let those go.