The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is responsible for safeguarding many things involving air and space. As a government agency, NASA is frequently a target of computer hackers attempting to breach its security systems. When a hacker identified only as “7h3h4ckv157” on X (formerly Twitter) managed to infiltrate their systems, they sent a notice to NASA, and the response was unexpected.
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I Hacked @NASA (again) and reported some vulnerabilities to them. Just today, I received this appreciation letter from them after they patched the loopholes! pic.twitter.com/t4w92culxK
— 7h3h4ckv157 (@7h3h4ckv157) September 26, 2024
This is the second time this hacker has breached NASA’s systems. What is unknown to many is that NASA encourages hackers and independent security researchers to find holes in its security. They even outline the procedure for reporting potential threats in their Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP).
Knowing the policy, this hacker did everything he should have done. Rather than sending out the lawman with handcuffs, NASA sent the hacker a thank-you letter. Using the VDP and filing reports through NASA, the hacker helps the agency improve its security measures.
The letter was from NASA’s Chief Information Officer, Mark Witt. He acknowledged the importance of the information from the hacker independent security researcher. The letter states, in part, “On behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and NASA’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP), we want to recognize your efforts as an independent security researcher in identifying the vulnerability you reported and for responsibly following our VDP guidelines.”
By utilizing hackers’ abilities, NASA receives quality assurance checks for computer security. Each independent security researcher will “attack” the system differently, meaning a better chance of finding areas subject to breaches. It is much better to encourage friendly hackers than to wait until our enemy’s hackers access the system.
Share if you smiled, nodded, and think NASA should continue thanking hackers for reporting breaches.
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