Pentagon to Award $150,000 to Hackers Who Can Find Security Flaws on Its Website

Uncle Sam wants you to hack the Pentagon. The “Hack the Pentagon” program will start today and last until May 12. Hackers are invited to probe for vulnerabilities on the Pentagon’s website, with a cash prize of $150,000 as incentive.
Pentagon to Award $150,000 to Hackers Who Can Find Security Flaws on Its Website
This picture taken December 26, 2011 shows the Pentagon building in Washington, DC. (AFP/Getty Images)
Jonathan Zhou
4/18/2016
Updated:
4/18/2016

Uncle Sam wants you to hack the Pentagon. 

The “Hack the Pentagon” program started April 18 and lasts until May 12. Hackers are invited to probe for vulnerabilities on the Pentagon’s website, with a cash prize of $150,000 as an incentive. 

“I am always challenging our people to think outside the five-sided box that is the Pentagon,” said Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. “Inviting responsible hackers to test our cybersecurity certainly meets that test. I am confident this innovative initiative will strengthen our digital defenses and ultimately enhance our national security.” 

There is a catch: Hackers will have to agree to a background check before entering the program, ABC News reports. 

The program won’t pose an actual risk to national security, as the hackers will operate within a “controlled, limited program” and “on a predetermined department system,” presumably away from sectors where sensitive information could be disclosed. 

The initiative is part of the Cyber National Action Plan that was announced in early February, which aims to bolster the government’s cybersecurity defense. 

Last year, the Office of Personnel Management was hacked, and the personal records of more than 4 million government employees were lost to hackers, prompting the Obama administration to rethink government cybersecurity.