An army of volunteer hackers to help protect American water systems, schools [View all]
Source: NBC News
Aug. 9, 2024, 6:30 PM EDT
LAS VEGAS DEF CON, the worlds largest hacker conference, is trying to put its legions of experts to work by creating a volunteer army to help protect Americas vulnerable water systems and schools.
The project is part of a larger attempt to harness the talent of the roughly 30,000 hackers who now make the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas. It also aims to help the broader public access the cybersecurity research the hackers produce during the conference each year.
Theres a very small number of people that can do this, said Jeff Moss, who founded DEF CON in 1993. So how do we best help them help other people?
The project has two main elements. The first involves publishing a detailed report of what hackers disclose at the conference, in the hopes that the information can be used to better U.S. cybersecurity policy. The second is connecting hackers with places that are in desperate need of cybersecurity help, starting with water and wastewater facilities and schools.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/army-volunteer-hackers-help-protect-american-water-systems-schools-rcna165461