Def Con Archives

“Red Team” members watch security camera footage of their effects on a simulated water treatment facility at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Indiana on June 16, 2022 in Niantic, CT. Cyber Yankee is an annual exercise that pits Blue Teams (network defenders) against a Red Team (network intruders/attackers) on a cyber range which is modeled after a critical infrastructure company’s network. (Photo by Maj. David Pytlik, Connecticut National Guard Public Affairs Office)

White House launches AI cyber challenge to identify and fix open-source software vulnerabilities

Teams that compete in the DARPA-led challenge will be able to win for prizes worth a total of more than $25 million.

Aug 9, 2023 By Nihal Krishan

U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operators from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron establish communications during an airfield survey as part of a culmination exercise Mar. 10, 2020, at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. (U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Ridge Shan)

Air Force wants cyber experts to ‘make a living’ off hacking its tech

The Air Force wants to do so many bug bounties that hackers can "make a living" off it. Eventually, hackers will be a brought into the design…

May 14, 2020 By Jackson Barnett

The Defense Department issued a custom “challenge coin” for one of the Hack the Pentagon pilot programs in 2016. (Defense Digital Service / Twitter)

DDS is interested in more than just the hacks at DEF CON’s aviation ‘village’

The head of the Defense Digital Service sees opportunities to bolster the military's cybersecurity workforce at the annual hacker conference in Las Vegas.

Aug 9, 2019 By Shannon Vavra

Las Vegas security conferences were crawling with feds

U.S. government officials descended on Las Vegas last week to strengthen existing and form new relationships with the cybersecurity and hacker communities.

Aug 10, 2016

You say you want a revolution: DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge

The finals of the Cyber Grand Challenge, which will be held by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency at the DEFCON security conference in Las Vegas next…

Jul 14, 2016

DARPA kicks off two-year long autonomous cybersecurity tournament

It’s not out of the norm for young adults around the U.S. to gather in their spare time — maybe even as their professions — to digitally…

Jun 3, 2014