For the record Ankit’s first book The Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking has sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide and is still counting.

In simple terms hacking is all about gaining unauthorised entry into someone’s computer and either stealing confidential data or misusing the data for criminal activities,” explains Ankit from inside MTV’s Mumbai studio as he, in his new avatar, is co-hosting a 10-minute show What The Hack on the channel.

“Ethical hacking,” says he, “is all about hacking for a good purpose”. “It is about helping governments, intelligence agencies and corporates tackle espionage, crack on terrorist activities and prevent cyber criminals from misusing confidential data.”

And in his 11-year career as a consultant Ethical Hacker he has helped intelligence agencies and police across the world — including India’s after 26/11 terror attacks and serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad in July 2008 — nail cyber crimes.

“I’ve traveled to almost 50 countries across the world because of the nature of my job,” says Ankit. His ambition, though, is to travel to all the 195 countries in the world and he is sure he will do it one day.

Today Ankit travels in India and abroad for more than 20 days in a month. His data card, laptop and blackberry act as his office.

In an interview with Prasanna D Zore, Ankit talked about what attracted him to hacking, how he helps various government agencies crack cyber terrorism and what kind of career opportunities are available to ethical hackers.

What attracted you to ethical hacking and when did you start?

Initially it was the forbidden fruit that attracted me. I was always attracted to the power of being able to do things that most people could not or the power to access things that most people cannot. So I started hacking into a friend’s computer or snooped on their emails for fun.

That’s how my love for hacking began. People always say that the forbidden fruit is always sweet. The more somebody discourages you from doing a thing the more you feel like doing it. That’s how it all began for me. Because of the success of my first book I realised that what was my hobby I could absolutely convert that into a profession as well.

How did you manage to write your first book at 13?

I got a computer at home when I was 10 and I got interested in computer hacking when I was 12. While I was learning the tricks of the trade I realised that in India there are no books or resources that can help one learn hacking. This kind of inspired me to write my first book on hacking when I was 14. The book sold 7.5 million copies and has got translated into 11 different languages. That was A one big milestone that kind of inspired me to turn my hobby into my profession.

Was it very difficult for you to write at such a young age?

It wasn’t very difficult actually. I had started my own Web site where I wrote I was writing tutorials on different computer hacking techniques and the feedback was very positive. My readers asked me to write a book on the subject. Then I decided to convert my tutorials into a book by adding more information.
When I set to write a book I had not told any of my family or friends about it. When I finished it I called my mom and told her I have written a book on computer hacking. She thought I was playing a prank on her. Obviously, she believed me only when I showed her the manuscript.

What was McMillan’s (the publisher fo his first book) first reaction when your mother told them that you wanted to publish a book?

My mom told them that my son has written a book on computer hacking and we want to get it published. The person on the line asked her if I was a professor in a college. My mom told them that I was in school. The editor then asked if I was a teacher in the school. And my mom was like he’s studying in Class IX.

The editors Sumesh Sharma and Joseph Mathai then asked my mom to bring the manuscript and author to their office to talk about the matter. Later Sumesh told me that when he received a call from my mother he thought somebody was playing a prank and he did not believe us. He thought that nobody would show up.
I became the youngest author of a technical book in the history of McMillan’s authors worldwide.

How did it feel after your first book was published?

I felt good but I was only a small kid then. So I didn’t realise the consequences of failure or success.
Till now I’ve written 14 books dealing with different topics on ethical hacking. My next book will be on how to hack into Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7. The fact that these two operating systems (OSs) were touted as the most secure is not true at all. You can hack into Windows Vista and Windows 7 pretty easily.

What are the career opportunities that one can look at as an ethical hacker?

Every company, irrespective of what they do, need to have ethical hackers. The maximum demand for ethical hackers comes from financial institutions and banks. They are also high in demand from the IT companies, BPOs, KPOs and LPOs. Telecommunication companies also hire them. Hotels, aviation companies, retailers all of them need ethical hackers to prevent misuse of data as well as online credit card transactions.

Interestingly, most of these industries have been hiring ethical hackers in good numbers to protect their information systems and infrastructure.
As far as remuneration is concerned those who work full time are paid monthly salaries and those who work as consultants are paid on a per-day, per-hour basis. However, consultants make more money than employees as ethical hackers but then it also depends on your skills and value add.

The starting salaries range for ethical hackers in India is between Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 per month and outside of India US $ 50,000 to 90,000 per year.

Also, most companies don’t advertise for ethical hackers because the word hacker still carries some stigma. Companies post advertisements for network engineers, system administrators or network specialists.
Lots and lots of my students write to me saying that they have been hired by big companies as such but what they actually do is work as ethical hackers.

What are the courses that you offer that can help people get jobs as cyber security professionals?

We have a one-month certified course called AFCEHC available at all Reliance World outlets that will cost you around Rs 6,999. We also have a one-year postgraduate diploma course on cyber security that is India’s first government accredited/approved certified course with IMT Ghaziabad as my partner. The fee for this distance-learning course is Rs 37,000 per year.
Then there is the two-year master’s degree course in cyber law and cyber security.

You have authored 14 books at 24, with the first one selling more than 7.5 million copies and you also act as a consultant. Can you tell us your net worth? How much do you earn in a year?

It was a lot when I was 13, it’s a lot more at 24.

http://getahead.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/dec/04/slide-show-1-achievers-i-earned-a-lot-at-13-its-a-lot-more-at-24-ankit-fadia-ethical-hacker.htm

Take a quick look at his curriculum vitae and you would think that Sekar — as he is addressed by his friends, family and peers — was always destined to achieve this feat.

At 9 he became the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional, MCP. At 10, he was the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, MCSE. The very next year he had the distinction of becoming a Cisco Certified Network Associate, CCNA.

By 2002 Sekar had decided to go for an engineering course. However, he was only eleven then — he was born on September 25, 1990 — and children that age are hardly considered as engineering prospects. It was the vice-chancellor of Anna University, Dr Balaguruswamy, who decided to set up a six-member committee to appraise Sekar’s talents. No marks for guessing what happened then for Sekar’s genius won the day and he was soon admitted to an under graduate course in Computer Science.

In July 2006 he found himself doing his MTech in Computer Science at IIT Madras after he scored 99.32 percentile in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, a prerequisite for getting admission into IITs post graduate courses.

In a telephonic interview from Chennai, Sekar spoke to Prasanna D Zore about his childhood days, his favourite sportsperson, people who played a crucial role in his career till now and his future plans.

Were you always so brilliant since your childhood days?

Yes. I used to be very fast in school also. I used to top my school regularly.

Sports that you played while in school?

I was essentially very keen on playing soccer and cricket in my school days. However, after Class VI, at the age of eleven, I joined a bachelor in engineering course in Computer Science at AK College of Engineering.

How was that possible? From Class VI to an undergraduation course in Computer Science?

By the time I was eleven I had completed three international certification courses: MCP, MCSE and CCNA. Based on my performance in these three certificates the vice-chancellor of Anna University, Dr Balaguruswamy called me. During our conversation the idea to admit me into a BE course popped up.

It was then decided to constitute a committee of six people who would evaluate me to check if I was fit enough to be admitted into an engineering course at such an early age. After thorough evaluation of my talent and aptitude the committee gave a green signal and I was admitted to an engineering course in Computer Science.

When did you complete your graduation in engineering?

I was admitted at 11 and by the time i turned 15, in 2006, I was an engineer in Computer Science. I passed throughout with first class with distinction.

How did an MTech at IIT Madras beckon?

When I was into my third year of engineering I gave my GATE. I scored 99.32 percentile in this test and became an alumnus of IIT Madras in 2006 as an MTech student in Computer Science.

Did you work very hard to get the 99.32 percentile in GATE?

Not actually. Like most of my colleagues I studied hard only for three months. I did not attend any specialised classes and for this I must thank my college professors for giving proper guidance.

Any difficulties that you faced through your academic journey?

Not many actually. Not at least in my school and IIT days. Of course, when I joined my engineering course at eleven it was some kind of a shock to attend college with students who were in their late teens.

Luckily enough nobody tried to rag me when I joined college. Most seniors treated me like their younger brother. However, within the next six months everything was normal and I began to feel a part of the campus environment.

About yourself…

I was born in Tirunelvelli. I am the only child in my family. My father is a practicing auditor and my mother works for Canara Bank . Currently I am working as a Researcher with Tata Consultancy Services at Chennai.

Who is your role model, your inspiration in life?

I would not like to single out any individual in particular. There are several people who have influenced me and are still a source of inspiration for me.

Some of them are S Ramadorai of TCS, Ratan Tata and N Narayanmurthy of Infosys, and also Sachin Tendulkar from the world of sports.

How does it feel to be the youngest MTech that India has produced yet?

I am indeed very happy and it is a proud moment for me, my professors and my family. However, this is just a starting point. There are many more milestones to be passed yet.

Who would you credit with for your success?

There are four-five people actually who have influenced me to achieve this feat.

My school helped me a lot when I was doing my MCSE and CCNA. They helped me by providing enough support and leave so that I could concentrate on these courses. Generally, you don’t expect a school to be happy about students bunking classes.

After that Covansys India supported me financially for almost six years till I finished my BE. I would also like to thank Dr Thangaraj, the principal of my college — AK College of Engineering (now Kalasalingam University), affiliated to Anna University — from where I did my engineering. He provided wonderful support and a good atmosphere when I was just eleven and entered a world where most other students were 7-8 years older than me. His support played a crucial role in my getting over my inhibitions about college life.

I would also like to thank TCS as they have been supporting me financially for the last two years and also my professors at IIT Madras.

Your future plans…

Currently, I am pursuing research in cryptography but I might enter a new area later. However, I would love to continue in the field of research in Computer Science.

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2008/aug/05sekar.htm