Inder's Internet Blog: Jan 31, 2012

He thinks like a criminal, the underworld doesn't like him and idealists feel he's a bad guy. All of 26, India's topnotch ethical hacker Ankit Fadia is in Bangalore on Wednesday to launch his latest book - 'How To Unblock Everything on The Internet'. Even as governments and top cops salute Ankit's work, this ethical hacker is excited that his father is reading his book. That's because he didn't read any of the 14 previous ones Ankit wrote. This one, concedes the whiz kid, is specifically for nontechnical people. Excerpts from an interview.
Two years ago, you said you'd like to write fiction - a computer hacking and thriller combo. What' s 'Unblock' got to do with it?

I really do want to write that thriller and then turn it into a movie.

But, of late, the Indian government has been threatening to block Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other networking sites. India is a democracy and freedom of speech is integral to this stance, unlike China, where 40,000 people have been exclusively employed to block websites . It's not reasonable for India to follow suit. While I don't support pornography, illegal content or piracy, I believe people should be given access to all web content, in offices and outside . I wrote 'Unblock' to counter this situation.

At 14, you wrote the 'Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking' ; at 16, you cracked and encrypted email sent by the Al-Qaida terrorist network for a classified intelligence agency; at 26, you are known the world over as a computer security expert and cyber terrorism guru with 45 awards to your credit . So much in so little time - do you feel there's anything left to look forward to?

Apart from work, I love travelling and wanted to visit 100 countries by 2012. With an Indian passport, I've already visited 97; by March I'll hit the 100th mark! The most memorable so far was my trip to North Korea - as soon as I got off the flight there, my passport and mobile phone were taken away, three people followed me everywhere, and I was put up in a hotel that was right in the middle of a river - there was no escape, and I was thrilled!

Your life seems to be the thriller you want to write -- working with bigwigs and cracking the Al-Qaida email? Doesn't it give you the creeps?

It does give me the creeps. I have taken an unusual path with criminals underground and cops over it - but it's a big honour to work for my country . I haven't been able to solve cases at times - but then, failure is part of life.

What are you doing for India now in your role as an ethical hacker?

The cyber law in India is good, but police need to be trained adequately for these laws to be implemented. I've introduced a course at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad, and am getting top cops acquainted with cyber crime. For, to be an ethical hacker, you need to know programming, networking , Unix and be able to think like a criminal!

Article Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/He-legally-hacks-criminal-minds/articleshow/11707883.cms

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