The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it's putting its cybersecurity to the test by inviting thousands of vetted hackers to try to break into its government systems as part of its "Hack the Pentagon" initiative. The first such program ever developed by the federal government will be modeled after similar competitions known as "bug bounties" used by companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo to spot security problems or software flaws before they're discovered by malicious hackers.
Though the Pentagon has its own team of security experts testing out networks, it hopes the program will make hackers less hesitant to "disclose known vulnerabilities in systems out of a fear of reprisal" and that the addition of outside eyes will allow it to better spot security issues. Last year alone, the U.S. government faced cyberattacks from Russian hackers and hackers linked to the Chinese government.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.