Hacker Prevents Global Crisis and Becomes a Millionaire

Korben Leo runs his own cybersecurity firm, which collaborates with the U.S. Department of Defense. He is paid to hack into company computer systems and identify security vulnerabilities. According to the 22-year-old specialist, he has earned about a million dollars for his efforts since starting his own business.

At age 19, Korben gained access to the TAT-14 undersea telecommunications cable system, which operated until 2020 and was used to transmit data from the United States to the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.

“I came across this web server. The name was very interesting, so I wanted to see if I could hack it,” Korben said.

“I could add admin access to all accounts and manage them. I had access to all the internal documentation about the cable. Everything related to the cable’s internal operations, how it was physically structured, and its maintenance schedules,” the hacker stated.

Korben could have triggered a stock market crash, caused accusations of international espionage, or disrupted government operations. Instead, Leo decided to report the vulnerability to the company, explaining, “I didn’t try to do too much because it was an undersea cable. I was afraid I’d end up on a secret CIA site!”

Korben is part of a global community of vulnerability researchers — ethical hackers. These specialists test web servers, identify security flaws, and report them in exchange for payment. Companies can then fix the issues to prevent real criminals from exploiting them.

In January 2022, another 19-year-old hacker from Germany, David Colombo, hacked into more than 20 Tesla vehicles in 13 countries and helped improve Tesla’s security system.