Pentagon Cyber Force Turns To Hackers To Meet Growing Demand

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/pentagon-cyber-force_n_2567564.html

Pentagon Cyber Force Turns To Hackers To Meet Growing Demand
Gerry Smith
Posted: 01/28/2013 5:24 pm EST | Updated: 01/28/2013 5:46 pm EST

Faced with growing fears of potentially crippling cyber attacks and not enough skilled technicians to combat the threat, the Defense Department has launched a massive recruitment drive that's tapping an unlikely group: computer hackers.

The Pentagon plans to dramatically boost the ranks of U.S. cybersecurity forces, expanding its number of cyber warriors more than five-fold, the Washington Post reported Sunday. But that strategy immediately confronts a critical shortage of those with the required skills.

"The people do not exist at all," said Alan Paller, director of the SANS Institute, a training organization for computer security professionals. "A program is underway to build a pipeline of the needed people very rapidly."

To meet its own demand, the Defense Department has begun a massive cyber recruiting effort that some have called this generation's Manhattan Project. Pentagon officials and defense contractors have established cyber camps, competitions, scholarships and internships for high school and college students and created cybersecurity training programs for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, a growing number of colleges now offer programs focused on cybersecurity.