U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter praised the 1,400 hackers who participated in the first ever “hack the Pentagon” bug bounty program that ended up revealing 138 vulnerabilities found on some of the Department of Defense's (DoD) public websites.
The pilot program, which ran from April 18 to May 12, saw 250 of the participants turning in vulnerability reports, of which, 138 were determined to be legitimate and eligible for a bounty payout, according to the DoD.
Carter praised the white-hat hackers saying the $150,000 program cost was well worth it compared to the usual process of hiring an outside firm to find the flaws. The program also helped with another federal government cybersecurity initiative, that is to work more closely with the private sector.
The department has "built stronger bridges to innovative citizens who want to make a difference to our defense mission," Carter said.
