Microsoft announces the Blue Hat Prize, $200,000 in cash for dreaming up the best proactive security system. In the 1996 movie “Ransom,” Mel Gibson plays a wealthy man whose son is kidnapped for a multi-million dollar ransom. Rather than pay, he goes on TV and offers the ransom as a reward for the head of his son’s kidnapper.Someone at Microsoft must have seen that movie a few times. At the Black Hat Technical Security Conference in Las Vegas, the company announced the BlueHat contest. Build a better mouse trap, or in this case, a better malware trap, one that offers a new and unique approach to PC security, and you’re eligible for a grand price of $200,000.Second price is $50,000 and third prize is a universal subscription to MSDN, valued at $10,000. “The object of this Contest is to design a novel runtime mitigation technology solution that is capable of preventing the exploitation of memory safety vulnerabilities,” the company said in its official rules. The announcement (and dollar amount) drew some audible gasps in the room during the announcement, held in Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. On Twitter, the hashtag #BlueHatPrize showed a fairly positive reaction.Microsoft employees at the show told me that the fact the winner will retains IP ownership for their entry, so they can decide what they do with their invention, really seemed to go over well with the audience. The contest runs through April 1, 2012. See the official rules for more information. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler NYC Department of Education builds the pipeline for future cybersecurity professionals NYC Department of Education's innovative programs empower students through hands-on experience and partnerships in cybersecurity, paving the way for diverse career pathways and long-term success in the digital workforce. By Demond Waters, CISO, and Anthony Dixon, Director of Cybersecurity Engineering at the New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE) Oct 21, 2024 10 mins Security brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler Are Your Firewalls and VPNs the Weakest Link in Your Security Stack? In an era when traditional network perimeters no longer exist, it’s time to adopt the Zero Trust mantra, "never trust, always verify.” By Zscaler Oct 21, 2024 9 mins Security brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler 6 key mobile and IoT/OT attack trend findings Zscaler ThreatLabz analysis shows more than 100% growth in spyware, much of which can bypass multifactor authentication, and 45% growth in IoT attacks. By Will Seaton, Viral Gandhi, Yesenia Barajas Oct 18, 2024 6 mins Security news Admins warned to update Palo Alto Networks Expedition tool immediately Six holes in the configuration migration tool could allow theft of cleartext passwords and more. By Howard Solomon Oct 11, 2024 1 min Network Security Security PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe