In an aparent attempt to get the best computer hackers on government’s side in the war against cyber terror, the National Security Agency (NSA) and other federal agencies in the US are attending Defcon, the annual hacker convention in Las Vegas this week.
According to a Reuters report, federal agencies including DOD, DHS, NASA, NSA plan to spot and hire cyber experts in their fight against cyber terror. The agencies would be competing with corporations also scouting for talent.
The report said that NSA is hiring about 1,500 cyber experts in the fiscal year ending 30 September. It plans to add another 1,500 next year.
NSA Information Assurance Directorate technical director Richard "Dickie" George told Reuters, "Today it’s cyber warriors that we’re looking for, not rocket scientists."
"That’s the race that we’re in today. And we need the best and brightest to be ready to take on this cyber warrior status," he added.
Last month, an AFP report said that the Pentagon is involving computer experts to develop ways to detect and counter anti-government propaganda on social networking sites.
The report said, citing a request for proposals issued on 14 July, that the US military’s technology research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is soliciting experts to study "a new science of social networks."
The report said that the objective of the Pentagon is to identify and follow "purposeful or deceptive messaging and misinformation" in social networks.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon had said that it would consider all options if the US were hit by a cyber-attack, including a military response.
