* subscribe at http://techPolice.com Computer security company challenges hackers By JUSTIN POPE, Associated Press BOSTON (January 15, 2001 6:39 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Gentlemen, start your modems -- OpenHack III, a computer-hacking contest sponsored by eWeek magazine, will feature some stiff competition Monday. In one corner is Savoy, Ill.-based Argus Systems Group, maker of a computer security product called PitBull that the company claims is virtually impenetrable. In the other is an army of hackers who will try to break into a PitBull-protected system and win a $50,000 prize, supplied by Argus. Hacking contests have been going on since the mid-1980s, but Argus has raised the stakes this time in an effort to validate a product it believes - and many experts agree - is the Fort Knox of computer security. Hackers generally try to access computer operating systems by exploiting holes in the applications the systems run, and most security products try to plug those holes. But PitBull protects the operating systems themselves, making it virtually impossible for a hacker to gain access. In the contest, hackers will have two weeks to complete four tasks related to corrupting a Web site protected by PitBull. There are prizes for being the first to complete each task, and a grand prize of $50,000 for being the first to complete all four. Argus thought of giving a car away - but realized from past hacking contests that participants aren't always old enough to drive. In two previous eWeek contests involving other types of security, sites were successfully hacked. In recent contests in Las Vegas and Munich, Germany, hackers failed to break into Argus-protected systems. But hackers have always shown resilience in the face of attempts to defeat them. Eric Lundquist, eWeek's editor-in-chief, said no system is perfectly secure. "I like that old rodeo saying: 'There's never been a horse that can't be rode, there's never been a rider that can't be throwed,'" he said. Most hacking competitions are lighthearted affairs, with hackers and security experts swapping tales and friendly advice. But the contests have serious implications. Big e-commerce companies like Yahoo! and eBay have been hit by hackers, and some smaller companies are struggling to convince customers that their sites are safe places to make purchases. Argus hopes the contest will prove the worth of its product. But many in the computer security community think hacking competitions prove little because the cleverest, most dangerous hackers stay away or are reluctant to reveal their secrets - a requirement to claim the prize. "If you have the skills to break into a product that's secure, are you going to announce it to the world, or are you going to keep those skills to yourself?" said Jeff Moss, a hacker and security expert at Blackhat, a computer company based in Seattle. Randy Sandone, the chief executive at Argus, acknowledges the test is imperfect. "Even if we survive the two weeks without breaches, we're not going to claim that the our system is fundamentally impenetrable," he said. Nevertheless, the contest gives incentive to "some pretty serious people to give (the system) a good thrashing --- Sponsor's Message -------------------------------------- Tech News...With Attitude! Get the top stories in your in-box -- commentary included! http://click.topica.com/aaaa4xb1dhr0b1uN1Ic/technewsdaily ------------------------------------------------------------ --via http://techPolice.com archive: http://theMezz.com/cybercrime/archive unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] url: http://theMezz.com/alerts ____________________________________________________________ T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
