Banks should hire hackers to tighten security, says National Bank
Local banks should employ ethical hackers to test their security systems, according to the country’s National Bank, though banks are worried about legal issues
White hats
Ethical hackers – also known as white hats – are experts in the art of breaching computer security. Unlike malicious hackers (or black hats), they use their skills to test systems in order to improve security.
According to a report in financial daily De Tijd, BNP Paribas Fortis and KBC are both looking for computer specialists to carry out research into security. This is in response to the call from the NBB for banks to organise “wide-ranging security tests in which independent experts investigate the efficiency and quality of security, by means of realistic attack scenarios”.
The banks, however, complain they are faced with a legal problem. Belgian law forbids any breach of computer security to gain access to computer systems, whether ethical or not. The white hats could face legal consequences for what they are hired to do. According to a spokesperson for Belfius, the use of ethical hackers is “a grey area”.
Financial sector federation Febelfin has yet to take a position on the matter, but a spokesperson said the organisation would be ready to call for new legislation if necessary to ensure ethical hacking under the right circumstances was protected from criminal prosecution.
