Cybersecurity
Pentagon Hires Hackers to Target Sensitive Internal Systems
- Group of 80 hackers found weaknesses at Pentagon right away
- Staff for Pentagon chief Mattis were briefed on day one
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The Pentagon is paying hackers to test its key internal systems for vulnerabilities -- and they are finding weaknesses faster than expected.
In a pilot project this past month, the Pentagon’s Defense Digital Service let about 80 security researchers into a simulated “file transfer mechanism” the department depends on to send sensitive e-mails, documents and images between networks, including classified ones. The effort was important enough that staff for new Defense Secretary James Mattis were briefed on the ongoing program his first day on the job.