Pentagon Seeking a Few Good Computer Hackers

WASHINGTON (AP) —
Defense Secretary Ash Carter (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
Defense Secretary Ash Carter (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

The Pentagon is looking for a few good computer hackers.

Screened high-tech specialists will be brought in to try to breach the Defense Department’s public internet pages in a pilot program aimed at finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Defense officials laid out the broad outlines of the plan Wednesday. They had few details on how it will work, what Pentagon systems would be tested and how the hackers would be compensated.

The program called “Hack the Pentagon” will begin next month. Department officials will first have to work through a number of legal issues involving the authorization of individuals to breach active websites.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said “responsible” hackers will be invited to participate. Officials say that department systems get probed and attacked millions of times a day.

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