Dive Brief:

• Businesses are increasingly hiring white hat hackers to help identify and fix security holes they can't find on their own, according to Beta News.

• The average salary for a white hat hacker is approximately $78,000 according to ITJobsWatch, while the average cost of a data breach is $5.31 million. 

• A recent report from Cybersecurity Ventures found the global cost of cybercrime could reach $6.15 trillion annually by 2021.

Dive Insight:

Cybercrime is rampant, and all kinds of companies are vulnerable. While bug bounty programs, in which white hat hackers search company networks for vulnerabilities, have become commonplace, they often attract white hat hacker attention for only a short period of time during a contest or specific event. That's why some companies are going another step and hiring white hat hackers as permanent parts of their staff

Given the cost of a breach or major cybersecurity incident, hiring a white hat hacker as a full-time employee is a bargain. Such workers can also help train staff on what to look for and how to avoid cyber security pitfalls.