DARPA appeals to hackers for cybersecurity help

The United States is facing a dire situation, according to former presidential counterrorism adviser Richard Clarke. The solution? The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is reaching out to hackers for help.

DARPA spokesman Eric Mazzacone told Wired that the agency is looking to recruit “visionary hackers” to the agency to help it explore “more and better options” to protect the country against threats. DARPA has already turned to respected hacker Peiter Zatko, aka “Mudge,” as a program manager for its Strategic Technologies Office, but is clearly looking to get more insider expertise on the world of cybersecurity. In a blog post, Sophos’s Lisa Vaas said that it’s about time that the government moved to hire more security talent. “At risk are both trade and technology secrets as well as crucial infrastructure,” she wrote in her own plea to white hats. “SOS. We need you.”