The Hack_Right program, which aims to help young hackers avoid cybercrime and use their skills for good, is now supported by 20 companies.
The program is aimed at young people who were first convicted of some cybercrime. This is an alternative to traditional imprisonment.
The experiment started with 2018 and its initiative police of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It focuses on people aged 12 to 23 and is structured in four modules (recovery, training, guidance, alternative) tailored to each individual to help them stay on the good side of the law.
At the Partners in Crime meeting in Woerden, the Netherlands, almost 20 companies signed a letter to participate in the program.
The list includes as big names from various fields are added. Among them are large cyber-surveillance companies such as Fox-IT, Secura, Qbit, Northwave, S-unit, Access42, DIVD and Zerocopter.
Companies from the financial sector such as Volksbank, ING, Deloitte, ABN-Amro, Rabobank and Summito also showed interest in support in the program as well as companies from other sectors (telecommunications services, management services, etc.)
In the Netherlands, the Hack_Right pilot program is being run with the support of the Dutch police, Probation Service, the Child Protection Board and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
According to the prosecutor's office, about 70 people between the ages of 12 and 23 are arrested each year for cybercrime. However, that number is probably higher, as not all new cyber offenders have been arrested.
Currently, the program has about 20 participants, which averages out to 10 people per year, according to Floor Jansen of teams High Tech Crime of the Dutch National Police.
About ten a year, but it exists space on Hack_Right for more young people who have committed some cyber crime for the first time and want to learn from their mistakes.