What does the job of an ethical hacker entail? Ben Downton speaks to the general mindset of unleashing very simple boundaries in our day to day lives and uses the novel idea of a “hacking mindset” to tap into a new perspective. Viewing the world the way a hacker does can not only have a positive impact on society, but can be developed and applied to our world to solve any issue.

Ben Downton has spent the last 10 years as a security consultant, working with companies to protect them from cyber attacks. With a background in penetration testing (simulating real world attacks to test weaknesses), Ben views the world the way a hacker does.

Holding Masters degrees in both Mathematics and Computer Security & Forensics, Ben is constantly looking for new ways to learn. Looking a little deeper into the world around us provides that environment, and Ben is currently writing a book detailing his research on hacking RFID and contactless technologies. He also founded the security group 971sec in the UAE, which brings together technical experts to share research and information.

Believing the hacker mindset to have a positive impact on society, Ben wants to help young minds develop this skill and apply it to our world to solve problems.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx