The US Army Wants You to Look at Code it Uses to Spot Cyberattacks

Believe it or Not, the US Government Doesn't Always Keep its Cyberwarfare Code a Secret. The Army Research Lab has Quietly Posted the Source Code for Dshell, a Tool it Uses to Both Spot and Understand Cyberattacks against the Department of Defense. The Hope is that, this Open-Door Policy Won't Only Help Other Countries and Companies Defend against Hackers but, Help Improve the US Military's Own Safeguards -- if you Have a Knack for Digital Security, you Could Spot Flaws or Offer Improvements. Only a Handful of People Have Used the Code so Far but, the Army's William Glodek Expects to See a Diverse Group Contributing to the Software within a Matter of Months. He's also Looking for More Projects that Could Get Similar Treatment. It's Doubtful that, this Open-Sourcing Effort will Ever be as Popular as a Big Linux Distribution. However, Popularity Isn't the Point -- it's More Important as a Shift in Policy that Could See the American Military Working with the Internet Community to Fight Threats, rather than Focusing Solely on its Own Interests.




Info Sources:

http://scienceblog.com/76752/army-open-sources-cyber-defense-code-new-github-project/#YJrvS5GoVyx9Mav1.97

http://www.slashgear.com/us-army-open-sources-security-code-to-fight-cyber-attacks-01366947

https://github.com/USArmyResearchLab/Dshell