Pentagon Wants Hackers To Break Into Its System
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Pentagon is looking for a few good hackers to attempt to break into its system. This is not something you'd expect to hear but the government says it's for the safety of the country.
Marcus Washington has more.
Hacking into top government official systems is not something you would think the government wants done but it's exactly what the Pentagon is seeking.
"It's going to attract some of the best and brightest people in the country to try and come and hack the system, to test the security at the Pentagon," said Steve Taormino, CC&A Strategic Media.
In a push to prevent hacking from happening, the Pentagon is inviting high-tech specialists to breach the Defense Department's public internet pages in a pilot program called "Hack the Pentagon" beginning in April.
The thought process: if these hackers can crack it, tougher security measures are needed.
"One of the things about the digital landscape, in any area, is it changes so often that unless you have people testing, you're bound to fall behind at some point so having people on a daily or weekly basis come in and do this is great news for the US," Taormino said.
Top Pentagon officials will have to sort a number of legal issues before any vulnerabilities are tested. Many say these tests are critical after hackers penetrated an email system used by joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon, forcing the military to take it off line.
"It's extremely serious. You look at all the hack attacks that have come from places like Japan, China, Russia and whatnot. If you don't prepare yourself for these things, they will hit you in a way it's difficult for you to come back from," he said.
These tests are not far from other industries where security is a top priority.
"In every industry of the world, you see where there are tests, right down to ADT. ADT will hire a company to come in and test their system by trying to break into a house just to make sure it's secure and really this is no different," he said.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the department's systems get probed and attacked millions of times a day.
