The Daily Caller

The Daily Caller
 Jon Beasley, imaging extraction technician, updates cell phone capabilities on a scanning device at the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center in Linthicum, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. Hackers and hostile nations are launching increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks against U.S. defense contractors. And the Pentagon is extending a program to help protect its prime suppliers, while serving as a possible model for other government agencies. Pentagon analysts are investigating a growing number of cases involving the mishandling or removal of classified data from military and corporate systems. Defense officials say intrusions into defense networks are now close to 30 percent of the Pentagon's Cyber Crime Center's workload. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)  

NSA chief appeals to Defcon hackers for help

LAS VEGAS — Over the past two decades, hackers at Defcon and the feds have been circling each other suspiciously. The nation’s top “spook” — National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander — giving a keynote at the hacker confab, shows just how much tensions have mellowed.

“I’ve spent 20 years trying to get someone from the NSA” to speak at Defcon, said Defcon founder Jeff Moss, who serves on the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council and is chief security officer for ICANN. “It’s eye-opening to see the world from their view,” he said. “On the NSA’s 60th anniversary and our 20th anniversary this has all come together.”

Full Story: NSA director finally greets Defcon hackers