In the United States is a national selection of hackers

In the best traditions of the KGB Higher School, American intelligence agencies also pit hackers against each other to reveal real talents. Only Americans do not conduct secret tests, but an open competition in which anyone can participate, even a student without a higher education or a teenager with a criminal background. Just the other day, the first such open US Cyber ​​Challenge championship ended.

All participants competed in the NetWars game. It differs from the well-known hacker game Capture the Flag, which is an online analogue of the “king of the hill”, where hackers fight for access to the system, and after capture should protect it from other applicants.

In the NetWars game, you need to find the secret key encrypted in the graphic image. The key gives access to a system in which you need to find vulnerabilities and leave your name in files that open only after the successful use of exploits.

It was a full-time stage of the championship. The winners of the qualifying competitions, held in distance form since June of this year, arrived in Washington. Each one had a sign on the table with his nickname, age and place of residence.

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For many participants in the competition, cooperation with the state is the only alternative to crime, because their skills and knowledge can only be used in one way. And only at such a competition can they show their skills openly, without fear of being held criminally responsible.

In America, it is customary to trust young people with the most responsible tasks. For example, during the Apollo 17 mission, the average age of the mission control center was only 26 years old. So even juvenile hackers can count on receiving the most critical tasks, such as defending the energy infrastructure. In total, US intelligence agencies plan to hire up to 10,000 cybersecurity professionals. Now there are only a thousand, and the Americans still have no idea where to find qualified specialists in such numbers.

via CNN