Hackers for Hire?

http://digitalethics.org/essays/good-reasons-hire-hacker/

The above article by Owen King was a very welcome read in my opinion. I have often wondered many of the same things that he mentioned in the article over the years. It's fascinating really, to think about the kind of times we are living right now; that there are actually outlets... DIGITAL outlets, like the websites brought up in the article, where people can go and hire hackers to help them with their DIGITAL problems or concerns. In a sense, these hackers-for-hire are like cyber plumbers and handymen. At least, that is if they are used constructively, as mentioned by King. Certainly, it's an almost scary thought hiring someone to bypass system securities or whatever it is they may do to assist you with your computer or digital system. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. hacking can be very beneficial for some people, despite the gut reaction some people may get when hearing the word "hacker" and immediately jumping to the conclusion that thy will steal loads of data and information and spread it to the world to see, much like the cases with Target and Sony.
One main point I thought of while reading the article was brought up in a related article on CNBC's website. In the same way that some prisons have used prisoners who escaped in order to find weaknesses and better secure the prison, some companies have begun hiring hackers to better secure the company's network. Hackers are also being used in counter-terrorist efforts in order to try and find out about attacks before they happen, among countless other reasons.  "The domain that you protect, cyberspace, is presenting us with some of the most profound challenges," he said. "While you may not be at risk in the way that the forces are — physical risk in the way our — in Afghanistan, we are requiring from you a comparable level of professionalism, excellence, dedication. And I know you show all that, but we count on it, because you really are on the front lines" (http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/17/companies-are-starting-to-hire-many-more-hackers.html).
In these ways, the hackers are extremely helpful because they tend to know much more about computers and cyberspace than the owners of the companies. In my opinion, the best defense against a hacker is another hacker. It's important that companies, as well as the government begin taking steps forward with cyber security measures. In today's day and age, threats against people are more and more possible and harmful online. Without proper protection, the destructive hackers out there will continue their attacks uninhibited. The digital age came about and has evolved at an almost unbelievably fast rate, but digital security has not kept up at the same pace. It's vital to make sure constructive hackers can thrive and can help us in the fight against destructive hackers.