Roger A. Grimes: American ingenuity: Why the U.S. has the best hackers

The United States is No. 1 at hacking, mainly because we're always pushing the limits of what can be done. The proof? U.S. hackers seldom get caught

For a significant part of my career I taught hacking (at Foundstone and other computer security education companies) around the world. I can tell you how well people from different countries hacked, how good they were overall, and what they excelled at. Bear with me while I indulge in geographic stereotyping.

Armies of hackers

I can't provide conclusive, objective proof for my assertion. But I ask you this: When was the last time you heard about U.S. government hackers getting identified and caught?

The United States probably has the biggest offensive cyber capability in the world. I'll wager a guess that we have at least tens of thousands of hackers working for the U.S. government. I know of a single entity that contains 5,000 hackers -- and that isn't considered one of the large divisions. We spend billions of dollars on offensive hacking.

The most news you’ve heard about U.S. hacking is related to the NSA. In various leaked documents, you'll find a treasure trove of ingenious hacking devices. There are catalogs from which spies can select the latest gizmo guaranteed to gain unlimited, nearly undetectable access. This is hacking innovation at its most extreme.

Outside of the infamous leak, I'm willing to bet you’ve never read about a country, company, or individual who has been hacked by the U.S. government. Think about it. Billions are being spent on state-sponsored hacking, which -- aside from one NSA whistleblower’s revelations -- are almost never discovered or reported

Personally, I’m against this kind of unwarranted intrusion, though I know it happens many thousands (millions?) of times a day, conducted by various parties around the world. But let’s stop pointing fingers and trying to scare people because X country is caught spying on Y country. It’s being done by all sides. In all likelihood, the United States is doing more of it better than anyone.

Roger A. Grimes: American ingenuity: Why the U.S. has the best hackers