Peter Nowak writes:

To people who believe that computer hackers are nerds sequestered alone in a tiny basement typing away furiously on their keyboards, someone like Ira Winkler may come as a complete shock. Winkler began his career as an intelligence and security analyst for the U.S. National Security Agency and is now president of his own company, the Internet Security Advisors Group, and he spends more time smooth-talking receptionists and security guards than in front of a computer.

He has been dubbed a modern-day James Bond for his espionage-like tactics, which he uses in employ of major corporations as a "white-hat social engineer" — a hacker who breaks into a company both physically and technologically to test its security. Winkler was one of the keynote speakers at the first SecTor conference in Toronto on Nov. 20 and 21, which brought together numerous well-known white hats to share their thoughts and experiences with IT security professionals.

After his speech, Winkler spoke with CBCNews.ca about the dark art of hacking for the good guys.

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