Celebrating hackers is at the core of what we do at Bugcrowd. One of our favorite ways we do this is with our annual Inside the Mind of a Hacker (ITMOAH) report. We’re happy to announce that the 2024 edition is here!

This is the eighth year in a row that we’ve published ITMOAH, and we’ve covered some really compelling subjects over the years. Years ago when we first launched this report, we published it with the goal of breaking through dated hacker stereotypes. The whole report was about convincing security companies about the trustworthiness and talent in the ethical hacking community.

As perceptions changed, this year we seized the opportunity to do something different with the report: it now focuses on highlighting what’s next for the hacking community. We get the chance to cover important topics like:

• What trends are we seeing?
• What unique directions are hackers taking in their security research?
• How can Bugcrowd customers and the greater cybersecurity community benefit from these shifts?

ITMOAH 2024 theme reveal

As we analyzed the data and interview responses provided by almost 1300 hackers, we noticed an interesting trend that absolutely begged to be this year’s theme—the increasing prominence of hardware hacking.

*Record scratch noise*

Wait, what? Were you expecting us to say “AI?” AI conversations are everywhere, after all. At first glance, nothing might seem further from the abstract world of AI than the concrete world of hardware hacking. However, consider the infrastructure needed to support the growing demands of AI and complex applications. In our distributed computing world, it’s easy to forget that the cloud is made of iron.

Key Takeaways

1. Hacking is a viable income source. The vast majority (90%) of hackers are Gen-Z or millennials. Younger generations are flocking to hacking and reaping the benefits. 61% cited that hacking helped them find a job. 59% are hacking fewer than 14 hours per week, making hacking the flexible income source that is so desirable right now, especially considering it can be done at home (or anywhere else in the world, for that matter).
2. Hardware hacking is on the rise. Hardware is everywhere, and even more is being created to support the infrastructure needs of AI. Hardware vulnerabilities are on the rise, and they have major implications. 81% of hardware hackers encountered a vulnerability type they had never seen before in the past 12 months. Hackers are up for the challenge, partially due to the increased accessibility of hardware hacking tools and educational materials.
3. AI is the new normal. AI is making hackers faster and more accurate and is overall making hacking more fun. It’s also making hacking more accessible. 77% of hackers use AI to hack and 86% say it has fundamentally changed their approach to hacking. But AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a target. AI is a new attack vector that 82% of hackers believe is evolving too rapidly to adequately secure.

The Anatomy of a Hacker

Download Inside the Mind of a Hacker

Beyond the takeaways and data listed in this blog, this report includes in-depth hacker interviews, infographics, and thought pieces. You won’t feel like you’re reading a boring white paper or report; it feels more like a cutting-edge security magazine. Download it today and learn about trends in security research and how your organization can benefit from these shifts.