At Hackrate, our journey began as a bug bounty platform, connecting companies with ethical hackers to identify and fix vulnerabilities. As we expanded, a leading commercial bank approached us with an unusual question: “How can we monitor what the ethical hackers are doing?”
This question resonated with us because we had faced similar challenges internally. Managing our international ethical hacker community and tracking project progress via email and messaging was time-consuming. The bank’s question highlighted a significant gap in the industry. They needed oversight of ethical hackers’ activities.
The bank had another request: they wanted to restrict specific areas within their web application, making them off-limits for testing. Their netbank test environment operated on an internal network, making visibility into hacking activities essential while maintaining restrictions on sensitive parts of the system. At that time, no solution existed to meet these requirements. This challenge sparked the idea for a solution: an ethical hacking monitoring solution. Thus, HackGATE was born.
Key Takeaway: Listening carefully to customer needs, especially as an early-stage startup, can lead to innovative solutions. HackGATE was born from a direct customer request.
HackGATE was developed to address the specific need for greater transparency and control over ethical hacking activities. It allows companies to visualize and monitor hacker activities in real-time, providing a much-needed layer of control, even within internal IT environments. HackGATE ensures that organizations can maintain control over their testing processes while ensuring maximum coverage.
One of the most exciting milestones for us came when we submitted HackGATE for a US patent, officially titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING AND CONTROLLING SECURITY TESTING ACTIVITIES.” This process, involving rigorous documentation and review, was a testament to the innovative nature of our solution. HackGATE is not just a tool; it’s a new approach to ethical hacking and cybersecurity monitoring.
Key Takeaway: Protecting your innovations through patents can provide a competitive edge and validate the uniqueness of your solution.
During this process, we were fortunate to have the support of McKinsey, who connected us to James Denaro of CipherLaw, a legal expert in the field. James played a crucial role in guiding us through the details of submitting a US patent, providing advice and ensuring that our submission reflected the full scope of HackGATE’s innovation. His expertise helped us navigate the complexities of patent law, making sure that HackGATE’s breakthrough approach to monitoring and controlling ethical hacking activities was fully protected.
Key Takeaway: Participating in startup events and being open to talking with experts curious about your approach is essential for every startup founder. You never know where your next customer, co-founder, investor or lawyer might come from.
HackGATE’s flexibility allows any organization to start a new HackGATE server and monitor ethical hacking activities with ease. It provides the control and transparency that businesses need to manage pentest projects. Having HackGATE patented is not just an achievement for our team; it represents a significant step forward for the ethical hacking community.
