Hack the Pentagon (Reuters): The US Pentagon announced on Wednesday that it is looking for external hackers to check the safety of some public Ministry of Defense websites in a pilot project. Let's say that this is the case for the first time by the federal government.
"Hack the Pentagon" is a prize competition for people who can break security. Typically, such competitions are conducted by large US companies wishing to find gaps in the security of their networks.
These programs allow cyber experts to find and diagnose problems before they are discovered malicioushackers, saving time and money in case of damage infringements.
"I am confident that this innovative initiative will strengthen our digital defenses and ultimately strengthen our national security," said Secretary of Defense Ash. Carter in the pilot program announcement statement.
Details and rules have not been announced yet, but the contest could include monetary awards, the Pentagon said.
The US Pentagon has long been testing the security of its networks with its in-house red groups. Hack the Pentagon will, however, open at least a part of the huge IT system network to the cyber challenges across the security industry and the academic world.
Participants should be US citizens and should register and submit a history that they will check before hacking on public computers, the Pentagon said. Sensitive networks or weapons programs will not be included, at least initially.
"The aim is not to jeopardize any aspect of our critical systems, but to challenge security in our cyberspace in a new and innovative way," he said.
The initiative is led by service The Pentagon's Defense Digital Agency (DDS), which was established last November to bring experts from the US technology industry to the military for short stints.
