DARPA announces $2million cyber 'Grand Challenge'

The US military's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced its plans to host a tournament between cyber-security programming teams, with the intention of creating the first ever 'fully automatic network defense system' - reminiscent of the 'Skynet' system from the Terminator films.

The department is responsible for developing new technology for use by the entire US military. Its previous successes include the stealth bomber, GPS systems and in many ways, the internet as we know it. Recent projects include developing self-driving cars and exoskeletons for infantry soldiers.

Cyber security - in fact, all aspects of cyber warfare - has long been a priority for DARPA, but this latest initiative is their first attempt to trial systems that detect and fix weaknesses in software and computer networks completely automatically.

Teams from universities, companies or individuals will be invited to submit an entry for the Challenge. Entries will have to make it through a qualifying round before the Grand Challenge final is held in 2016. Teams which qualify for the final will each win $750,000. The overall winning team will be given a $2million prize, with runner-up and third places receiving $1million and $750,000 respectively. Winning also comes with the unstated possibility that DARPA could end up buying your system.

A computer security system able to recognise vulnerable holes in a system that might be exploited by hackers would be of interest to the banking and commercial industries as well as governments and the military. But a crucial part of internet security is keeping up to date with new threats - the ideal system would need to monitor hacking activity and respond accordingly.