Hackers are being invited to uncover cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the computer systems used by the US military as part of the ‘Hack the Army’ bug county challenge.
Both military and civilian hackers are being invited to discover and disclose digital vulnerabilities in the US Department of the Army in a program run by The Defense Digital Service (DDS) and HackerOne.
The aim is for cybersecurity researchers to uncover and disclose security vulnerabilities in army systems so they can be resolved before they are discovered and exploited by malicious hackers. Civilian hackers who successfully discover valid security bugs could receive a financial reward.
SEE: Security Awareness and Training policy (TechRepublic Premium)
“Bug bounty programs are a unique and effective force multiplier for safeguarding critical Army networks, systems and data, and build on the efforts of our Army and DoD security professionals,” said Brigadier General Adam C. Volant, U.S. Army Cyber Command Director of Operations.
“By crowdsourcing solutions with the help of the world’s best military and civilian ethical hackers, we complement our existing security measures and provide an additional means to identify and fix vulnerabilities. Hack the Army 3.0 builds upon the successes and lessons of our prior bug bounty programs,” he added.
The bug bounty program is open to both military and civilian participants and runs from January 6, 2021 through February 17, 2021.
Hack the Army 3.0 is the DDS’s eleventh bug bounty progam with HackerOne and the third with the US Army. Previous programs include Hack the Pentagon, Hack the Defense Travel System and Hack the Air Force.
“We are proud of our continued partnership with the Army to challenge the status quo in strengthening the security of military systems and shifting government culture by engaging ethical hackers to address vulnerabilities” said Brett Goldstein, director of the Defense Digital Service.
SEE: Meet the hackers who earn millions for saving the web, one bug at a time
Participation in the Hack the Army 3.0 bug bounty challenge is open by invitation only to civilian hackers and active US military personel.
“We’re calling on civilian and military hackers to show us what they’ve got in this bug bounty and to help train the future force,” Goldstein said.
