Mayhem Wins DARPA CGC

David Brumley
August 6, 2016
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Mayhem is a fully autonomous system for finding and fixing computer security vulnerabilities.On Thursday, August 4, 2016, Mayhem competed in the historical DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge against other computers in a fully automatic hacking contest...and won.  The team walked away with $2 million dollars, which ForAllSecure will use to continue its mission to automatically check the world's software for exploitable bugs.

We'll write up a longer post on what this means (and what we fielded and learned). In the mean time, here are some of the media articles about the win.

BBC News: ‘Mayhem’ program wins grand hacking challenge
By Staff
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36980307

Hacking-Turnier in Las Vegas: Kampf der Maschinen
By Von Uli Ries
http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/cyber-grand-challenge-in-las-vegas-server-gegen-server-a-1106293.html

The Christian Science Monitor: With the drama but not the bruises, hacking becomes a spectator sport
By Jeff Stone
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Passcode/Security-culture/2016/0805/With-the-drama-but-not-the-bruises-hacking-becomes-a-spectator-sport

CIO Dive: ‘Mayhem’ reigns at first all-computer hacking tournament
By Justine Brown
http://www.ciodive.com/news/mayhem-reigns-at-first-all-computer-hacking-tournament/423920/

CNET: Rise of the hacking machines
By Laura Hautala
http://www.cnet.com/news/rise-of-the-hacking-machines-darpa-cyber-grand-challenge/

Computer World: ‘Mayhem’ takes first in DARPA’s all-computer hacking challenge
By Sharon Gaudin
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3104891/security/mayhem-takes-first-in-darpas-all-computer-hacking-challenge.html

Dark Reading: Team With Carnegie Mellon Roots Wins Machine Hacking Contest
By Steve Zurier
http://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/team-with-carnegie-mellon-roots-wins-machine-hacking-contest-/d/d-id/1326524

Defense Daily Network: DARPA Announces Preliminary Winner Of Automated Cyber Defense Exercise
By Rich Abott
http://www.defensedaily.com/darpa-announces-preliminary-winner-of-automated-cyber-defense-exercise/

Engineering and Technology Magazine: Cyber-hackers win $2m for designing auto-hacking program
By Jack Loughran
http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2016/aug/cyber-hackers-2m-competition-darpa.cfm

Enterprise Security Today: ‘Mayhem’ Takes $2 Million First Prize in DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge
By Dan Heilman
http://www.enterprise-security-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=011000DNUTRJ

eWEEK: DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge Ends with Mayhem
By Sean Michael Kerner
http://www.eweek.com/security/darpa-cyber-grand-challenge-ends-with-mayhem.html

ExecutiveGov: DARPA Names Cyber Grand Challenge Winners
By Ramona Adams
http://www.executivegov.com/2016/08/darpa-names-cyber-grand-challenge-winners/

Fast Company: When Bots Attack: Behind The Scenes Of The World’s First All-Machine Hacking Contest
By Neal Ungerleider
http://www.fastcompany.com/3062594/behind-the-scenes-of-the-worlds-first-all-machine-hacking-tournament?partner=rss

Financial Times: Mayhem reigns in battle of the self-healing computers
By Hannah Kuchler
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/68b0e6c8-5ac7-11e6-9f70-badea1b336d4.html#axzz4GVLtqkgv

Firstpost: “Mayhem” wins DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge
By Staff
http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/mayhem-wins-darpas-cyber-grand-challenge-328524.html

Gizmodo: DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge is a Glimpse of Our Human-Free Future
By William Turton
http://gizmodo.com/darpas-cyber-grand-challenge-is-a-glimpse-of-our-human-1784881090

Gizmodo India: DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge is a Glimpse of Our Human-Free Future
By William Turton
http://www.gizmodo.in/news/DARPAs-Cyber-Grand-Challenge-Is-a-Glimpse-of-Our-Human-Free-Future/articleshow/53564244.cms

Homeland Preparedness News: Raytheon’s team of cyber experts face off against other top teams in DEF CON finals
By Alex Murtha
https://homelandprepnews.com/countermeasures/19419-raytheons-team-cyber-experts-face-off-top-teams-def-con-finals/

IEEE Spectrum: Autonomous Security Bots Seek and Destroy Software Bugs in DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge
By Amy Nordrum
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/security/autonomous-supercomputers-seek-and-destroy-software-bugs-in-darpa-cyber-grand-challenge

Information Week: ‘Mayhem’ System Wins DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge
By Kelly Sheridan
http://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/security-and-risk-strategy/mayhem-system-wins-darpas-cyber-grand-challenge/d/d-id/1326519

Inverse: This System Won A DARPA Contest by Hacking Its Rivals
By Mike Brown
https://www.inverse.com/article/19281-mayhem-won-a-darpa-contest-by-hacking-its-rivals-ahead-of-def-con

IT World: ‘Mayhem’ takes first in DARPA’s all-computer hacking challenge
By Sharon Gaudin
http://www.itworld.com/article/3104891/security/mayhem-takes-first-in-darpas-all-computer-hacking-challenge.html

IT World: Supercomputers give a glimpse of cybersecurity’s automated future
By Michael Kan
http://www.itworld.com/article/3104818/supercomputers-give-a-glimpse-of-cybersecuritys-automated-future.html

Lifehacker India: Forget Rio Olympics, DefCon Is Giving 2 Million USD For Hacking
By Suchayan Mandal
http://www.lifehacker.co.in/technology/Forget-Rio-Olympics-DefCon-Is-Giving2-Million-USD-For-Hacking/articleshow/53541929.cms

MustTech News: Supercomputers Are Expected To Be The Automated Future Of Cybersecurity
By Adity Bera
https://www.musttechnews.com/supercomputers-future-cybersecurity/

Network World: ‘Mayhem’ wins $2M first prize in DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge
By Tim Greene
http://www.networkworld.com/article/3104879/security/mayhem-wins-2m-first-prize-in-darpa-cyber-grand-challenge.html

The New York Times: Facebook Live Video
By Matthew Rosenberg
https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/videos/10150864919889999/

 Next Big Future: Automated detection and patching of software vulnerabilities demonstrated by DARPA cyber challenge winner
By Staff
http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/08/automated-detection-and-patching-of.html

PC Magazine: ‘Mayhem’ Computer Program Wins DARPA Hacking Challenge
By Tom Brant
http://www.pcmag.com/news/346813/mayhem-computer-program-wins-darpa-hacking-challenge

PC World: Supercomputers give a glimpse of cybersecurity’s automated future
By Michael Kan
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3104819/security/supercomputers-give-a-glimpse-of-cybersecuritys-automated-future.html

Popular Science: DARPA’S Cyber Grand Challenge Ends In Triumph
By Kelsey D. Atherton
http://www.popsci.com/machines-win-darpas-cyber-grand-challenge

PR Newswire: GrammaTech’s Team TECHx Places Second in DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge
By Mary Shelato
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grammatechs-team-techx-places-second-in-darpas-cyber-grand-challenge-300310026.html

Reuters: Geeks win millions for teaching computers to battle each other
By Jim Finkle
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-defcon-contest-idUSKCN10G095

The Register: Game over, security researchers -- DARPA’s AI bug hunters are coming for your jobs
By Iain Thomson
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/05/game_over_security_researchers_darpas_ai_bug_hunters_will_take_your_jobs/

SC Magazine: Bot Mayhem takes first place in DARPA Cyber Challenge
By Doug Olenick
http://www.scmagazine.com/bot-mayhem-takes-first-place-in-darpa-cyber-challenge/article/514500/

 Sci-Tech Today: ‘Mayhem’ Takes $2 Million First Prize in DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge
By Dan Heilman
http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/-Mayhem--Wins-DARPA-Challenge/story.xhtml?story_id=0110015BBL7Z

TechCrunch: Carnegie Mellon’s Mayhem AI takes home $2 million from DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge
By Devin Coldewey
https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/05/carnegie-mellons-mayhem-ai-takes-home-2-million-from-darpas-cyber-grand-challenge/

Top Tech News: ‘Mayhem’ Takes $2 Million First Prize in DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge
By Dan Heilman
http://www.toptechnews.com/article/index.php?story_id=011001C86S33

The Verge: Carnegie Mellon team wins AI security battle royale
By Russell Brandom
http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/5/12388066/cmu-darpa-cyber-grand-challenge-winner-ai-hacking

United Press International: ‘Mayhem’ system wins DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge
By Geoff Ziezulewicz
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2016/08/05/Mayhem-system-wins-DARPAs-Cyber-Grand-Challenge/9781470414342/

Wired: Hackers Don’t Have To Be Human Anymore. This Bot Battle Proves It
By Cade Metz
http://www.wired.com/2016/08/security-bots-show-hacking-isnt-just-humans/

Xinhua News Agency: Feature: In first all-machine hacking tournament, computers battle to make world safer
By Guo Shuang and Huang Heng
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/05/c_135567414.htm

 

Thursday, 8/4

AZoRobotics: Raytheon’s Deep Red Team to Compete in DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge Finals
By Staff
http://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=8696

 Computer World: In DARPA challenge, smart machines compete to fend off cyberattacks
By Sharon Gaudin
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3104593/security/in-darpa-challenge-smart-machines-compete-to-fend-off-cyberattacks.html

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Does DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge Need A Safety Protocol?
By Nate Cardozo, Peter Eckersley and Jeremy Gillula
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/08/darpa-cgc-safety-protocol

 Homeland Security Today: Raytheon Team Competing in DARPA Cyber Competition Finals
By Staff
http://www.hstoday.us/index.php?id=95&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=42669&cHash=8ac9c2b1d316152311ef62193bf8c8af

MIT Technology Review: Pentagon Bot Battle Shows How Computers Can Fix Their Own Flaws
By Tom Simonite
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602071/pentagon-bot-battle-shows-how-computers-can-fix-their-own-flaws/

Scientific American: Robot Hackers Could Be the Future of Cybersecurity
By Larry Greenemeier
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/robot-hackers-could-be-the-future-of-cybersecurity/

The Next Web: Watch AI hack into AI at DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge
By Cecil Kleine
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/04/watch-ai-hack-darpa-cyber/

Yahoo! Finance: These grad students want to make history by crushing the world’s hackers
By Daniel Howley
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cyber-grand-challenge-darpa-team-000000358.html

 

 Tuesday, 8/2

 

The Verge: Seven automated hacking systems will compete for a $2 million prize on Thursday
By Russell Brandom
http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/2/12358322/darpa-cyber-grand-challenge-ai-hacking-defcon

 

Monday, 8/1

 

The Christian Science Monitor: High-stakes DARPA hacking contest pits computer against computer
By Jack Detsch
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Passcode/Security-culture/2016/0801/High-stakes-DARPA-hacking-contest-pits-computer-against-computer

Share this post

Add a Little Mayhem to Your Inbox

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for expert insights and news on DevSecOps topics, plus Mayhem tips and tutorials.

By subscribing, you're agreeing to our website terms and privacy policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Add Mayhem to Your DevSecOps for Free.

Get a full-featured 30 day free trial.

Complete API Security in 5 Minutes

Get started with Mayhem today for fast, comprehensive, API security. 

Get Mayhem

Maximize Code Coverage in Minutes

Mayhem is an award-winning AI that autonomously finds new exploitable bugs and improves your test suites.

Get Mayhem