Bradford ethical hacker honoured with record-breaking work

Nikhil Rane said ethical hacking had helped him to pay his rent

A bug bounty-hunter who identifies security loopholes in company websites has been celebrated in the India Book of Records.

University of Bradford student Nikhil Rane is an ethical hacker who helps firms find gaps in their systems that may be exploited by malicious hackers.

He has helped find nearly 200 loopholes for organisations including Google, Microsoft and Nasa.

Mr Rane said it was an "incredible honour" to feature in the records book.

Ethical hacking is when a hacker is paid by a company to break into their websites to discover bugs and security flaws.

Mr Rane said it was an "incredible honour" to be recognised by the India Book of Records

Mr Rane, 24, is studying for a master's degree in cyber security and said he had used the reward money he received for ethical hacking to pay his rent while he completed his education.

"There are always new things to learn, new cyber-attacks," he said.

"Ethical hackers need to stay ahead, so they know what tools the hackers are using."

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Mr Rane, who is from Mumbai, entered the India Book of Records 2023 as the person who has been recognised most often on company websites for their work to tackle security vulnerabilities.

"This recognition motivates me to continue my journey in the world of bug bounty and security research," he said.