Startup Talk: ‘Hack the Pentagon’ program to test military cybersecurity

Editor’s note: Each Thursday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Startup Talk,” a round-up of startup, technology and entrepreneurial news. –––––––––––––––

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT STARTS ‘HACK THE PENTAGON’ PILOT PROGRAM TO TEST MILITARY CYBERSECURITY: The Department of Defense is testing cybersecurity under a unique pilot program called “Hack the Pentagon” initiative, which is the first cyber bug bounty program in the history of the federal government. Under the pilot program, the department will use commercial sector crowdsourcing to allow qualified participants to conduct vulnerability identification and analysis on the department’s public webpages. The bug bounty program is modeled after similar competitions conducted by some of the nation’s biggest companies to improve the security and delivery of networks, products, and digital services.

The pilot marks the first in a series of programs designed to test and find vulnerabilities in the department’s applications, websites, and networks. Participants in the bug bounty will be required to register and submit to a background check prior to any involvement with the pilot program. Once vetted, hackers will participate in a controlled, limited duration program that will allow them to identify vulnerabilities on a predetermined department system. Other networks, including the department’s critical, mission-facing systems will not be part of the bug bounty pilot program. Participants in the competition could be eligible for monetary awards and other recognition, officials said.

SBA: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BREAKS CONTRACTING RECORD FOR WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES – In fiscal 2015, 5.05% or $17.8 billion of all federal small business eligible contracting dollars were awarded to women-owned small business (WOSBs), the first time this specific benchmark has ever been reached. Since taking over as SBA Administrator, Maria Contreras-Sweet has made it a top priority to increase federal contracting opportunities for startups and small businesses owned by women.

Overall, the federal government surpassed its 23% small business procurement goal for the third year in a row, awarding an all-time high of 25.75%, or $90.7 billion, in federal contracts to small businesses. These contracting funds support more than 537,000 jobs and have had a significant impact on job creation, innovation, and growth in communities throughout the country, the SBA said. To learn more about the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program, visit here.

LG, INTEL TO DEVELOP 5G-BASED TELEMATICS FOR AUTO INDUSTRY: LG Electronics (LG) and Intel recently announced they are collaborating to develop and pilot 5G-based telematics technology, the next generation of wireless technology for cars. LG and Intel will utilize research and development expertise and leadership from both companies with the intent to be first to market with 5G ready solutions. LG is among the first company to supply telematics products that rely on LTE connectivity instead of older 2G or 3G based networks.

LG, which has made significant strides to solidify its telematics leadership in the smart car industry, is the exclusive supplier of vehicle telematics for GM’s 4G LTE OnStar telematics system. In the growing automotive telematics sector, LG had a market share of 30.1% in 2013, 30.3% in 2014 and 29.9% in 2015, according to Strategy Analytics.