US Enlists 'Ethical Hackers' In Satellite Attack Contest To Test Defenses - Pentagon

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2021) Defenders of US satellites will test their skills against teams of hackers, who began registering for the second annual Hack-A-Sat contest, the Defense Department said on Tuesday.

"As satellites provide the entire world with needed data transmission for capabilities like GPS and credit card transactions, the Departments of the Air & Space Force embraces the benefit of ethical hacking to advance cyber and space technology for both the military and industry," the Defense Department said in a press release.

The United States began accepting applications from hackers on Tuesday for a qualification round on June 26 with a first prize of $10,000.

Eight teams that emerge as finalists will then compete September 17-19 with the top prize of $50,000, the release said.

In addition to hackers probing for satellite vulnerabilities, Air and Space Force service members will attempt to defend their satellites with offensive countermeasures, the release added.

Last year's inaugural Hack-A-Sat contest drew more than 2,000 teams made up of more than 6,000 individuals, including some of the world's best hackers, according to the release.