Unlike most Internet users, Jiang Kaida subconsciously starts to look for security gaps on websites after he surfs the Internet for a while.

"It's really like a sickness, but I'm interested in it," said Jiang, who works for the network and information center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Jiang is one of six engineers at the university who specialize in finding online security gaps or risks. They are called "white hats" - a group of technology and computer zealots who share network problems they discover with government departments and enterprises.