The Defense Department plans to enlist ethical hackers for a pilot cyber “bug bounty” program that aims to uncover security vulnerabilities on DoD’s public-facing websites.
The Hack the Pentagon initiative will use private-sector crowdsourcing to allow participants to identify and analyze bugs in non-mission-critical Web applications for the department, DoD said Wednesday.
“I am confident this innovative initiative will strengthen our digital defenses and ultimately enhance our national security,” noted Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.
The initiative, led by the Defense Digital Service organization, will offer monetary and non-financial rewards to participants.
DoD derived the program from competitions that some companies hold in a bid to strengthen the security of their networks, products and service offerings.
The department noted it will provide information on program requirements and rules prior to the program’s official launch in April.
