DHS Recruiting Young Hackers
Concerns over the safety of the US internal infrastructure means the Department of Homeland Security needs IT pros — and now, they’re recruiting younger minds for the jobs. The agency needs at least 600 hackers, reports The New York Times, to work in defensive roles for the nation’s computer networks.
The DHS has been holding games across the country to test high school student’s aptitude in cyber competitions. The idea comes from China (a country also accused of hacking into the US’s top-secret databases), where the People’s Liberation Army holds annual challenges to identify “digital warriors.” A spokesperson for computer security training organization says the US can’t compare to China when it comes to training youth in IT.
Chaninat & Leeds’ US and Thai Attorneys have been representing clients in Thailand and abroad for over 40 years.
In the US, the competitions bring together the brightest young minds in the tech world, giving them the same tests the military uses to teach its own computer security experts.
“They earned points for cracking passwords, flagging vulnerabilities and breaking into a Web site administrator’s account where, had they changed any settings or defaced a site, they would have been eliminated. Their scores were displayed in real time on a leader board,” the Times reports.
The students earn scholarships for reaching the highest levels of the competition. And of course, future opportunities with the DHS.
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Flickr photo courtesy of CfChaos
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