U.S. hopes to attract talent at hacker conference

The U.S. government is aiming to recruit some of America’s most talented computer hackers at this year’s Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the annual convention, which takes place this week. Among the government agencies hoping to attract hackers at the conference are NASA and the NSA, the agency responsible for protecting the U.S. from cyber attacks as well as carrying them out on foreign rivals. The NSA will hire 1,500 people during this fiscal year, and another 1,500 next year. Richard George, technical director of the agency’s Information Assurance Directorate, told Reuters that the NSA has a shortage of hacking talent. Although he would not name countries suspected of being threats to American cyberspace, many officials have pointed to China and Russia as prime actors in global cyber warfare.

Reuters