The Pentagon is now open for hacking

Earlier this year, we wrote about the Pentagon welcoming attempts to hack its network and now the time has arrived.

The Department of Defense has confirmed that it’s finally accepting applications for its ‘Hack the Pentagon’ initiative, marking the first time the federal government has used this type of program, even though they are common among large organizations.

It’s not a free-for-all though, hopeful hackers will be subjected to vetting before being allowed to conduct their work. Everyone who applies must be eligible to work in the US, can’t be listed as someone who has engaged in terrorism and/or drug trafficking, and can’t be living in a country subjected to US trade sanctions.

The aim of the program is to improve the security and delivery of networks, products, and digital services, according to the Department of Defense. Successful hackers will be compensated for their work from the $150,000 funding allocated to the project, but the individual amounts will depend on a number of factors that haven’t been disclosed.

The Department of Defense has partnered with bug bounty specialists HackerOne to launch the pilot program, which will run from April 18 to May 12, with qualifying bounties set to be announced by June 10.

So, if you’ve ever considered the Pentagon’s networks to be a challenge or know of any vulnerabilities, you can sign up here to participate.