There’s no denying it: the government has been hacked far more times than we’d like. But now the Pentagon has worked on the security of several key networks, and have challenged hackers to take them on.
You may thinking “hackers have probably already been attempting this. They do what they want when they want.” But this isn’t a complete free-for-all. The Pentagon is selecting a number of personally chosen seasoned hackers to take on a select number of U.S. Department of Defense websites. There will also be no sensitive information within these networks, so it’s more of a simulation than a full-blown digital heist.
According to Reuters, “Hack the Pentagon” is being modeled after similar competitions known as “bug bounties,” where many large U.S. companies issue challenges to discover security gaps in their networks. This allows them to find holes in their security before they can be exploited, especially after the company has gotten up and running.
“I am confident that this innovative initiative will strengthen our digital defenses and ultimately enhance our national security,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. “We can’t just keep doing what we’re doing. The world changes too fast; our competitors change too fast.”