Expert at 17, will lecture IT big wigs on Net security

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?artid=43502897

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
APRIL 15, 2003 
 
AHMEDABAD: If a teenager decides to lecture experienced information 
technology (IT) professionals on internet security, he is considered 
either too arrogant or ill-informed. But when a 17-year-old Gujarati 
boy from New Delhi, Ankit Fadia, speaks at a special seminar in 
Ahmedabad on Wednesday, there will be many well-known names from the 
industry in the audience to listen to him.

Members of the Gujarat Electronics & Software Industries Association, 
the Computer Society of India and students are expected to attend the 
seminar.

Ankit may have given his standard XII board exams only recently, but 
is already considered an expert on Net security issues, especially 
hacking. And for those who think he is just another 'hack', here is a 
reality check.

Ankit has already published some books on the subject and was named 
person of the year by the Limca Book of Records last year.

Those in the IT security industry know Ankit quite well, but for those 
who don't, he is a Gujarati, was born in Ahmedabad but grew up in New 
Delhi. Fascinated by the internet, like most youngsters of his age 
are, he soon found out about hacking.

"First, it was the forbidden fruit syndrome," he says. "Because it was 
forbidden, I wanted to do it, but soon found out that that we Indians 
have no school to learn about security issues. I picked up most of my 
initial knowledge from books."

"It's pathetic," the teenager says while speaking on the level of 
awareness regarding internet security in the country. "Professionals 
are aware of the dangers in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, 
but you can't say the same for the rest of the country."

According to Ankit, the threat can be perceived from the fact that at 
least 50 Indian websites are defaced by Pakistani hackers every month.

In return, Indians hack a paltry 10. We have software experts and 
Pakistanis have security experts. We are good at creating software and 
they are good at hacking them."

According to Ankit, almost all government websites have been hacked 
and websites of well-known private companies have not been spared. "I 
even identified two of the hackers in Pakistan down to their street 
address and passed on the information to the CBI, but I am not sure if 
they have been able to make any headway."

But there is a mysterious side to Fadia as well. He claims that in 
November 2001, he was consulted by a classified intelligence agency 
for breaking an encrypted message believed to have been sent by one of 
Osama Bin Laden's men. He was able to break it.

"One can only expect hacking to increase in the coming months. Our 
lives will be increasingly dependent on the Net giving hackers more 
reason to disrupt our lives."
 


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