Cyberwars

The US Military Launches “Hack the Army,” Its Most Ambitious Bug Bounty Yet

VIRTUALLY EVER BIG tech company offers cash rewards to hackers who find vulnerabilities in their software. Not to be left out, this year the Pentagon announced its first bug bounty to try to expand how the government defends its systems. Now the Army is joining in as well, with its inaugural “Hack the Army” bug bounty kicking off this month.

Announced by outgoing secretary of the Army Eric Fanning, the program asks hackers to vet and find flaws in the Army’s digital recruiting infrastructure. Unlike Hack the Pentagon, which only asked hackers to assess static websites, Hack the Army focuses on recruitment sites and databases of personal information about both new applicants and existing army personnel. The program isn’t open to everyone; it’s invite-only so hackers can be vetted. Any military and government personnel who want to participate, though, get automatic entry.