Silicon Valley hacking event spurs cooperation to fight cyberattacks

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (KGO) -- About a week after President Obama called for new cooperation to fight cyberattacks, 40 people are engaged in a hacking event at Symantec in Silicon Valley.

It's one of the first examples of what can be done when government and the private sector work together.

This is role reversal time. People who specialize in defending cyberattacks are instead trying to think and act like hackers. The target for three days is breaching patient information and a pharmacy payment system.

"What we have in the room here are our best of the best, representing 10 countries flown in from around the world to walk in the footsteps of an attacker, get into the mind of an attacker so we can better understand how to prevent these types of attacks," Symantec Cybersecurity Group Vice President Samir Kapuria said.

Their progress is tracked in a separate room.

Cyberattacks are getting more sophisticated. One of the newest breaches is stealing RFID signals emitted by touch payment cards and mobile devices.

Hackers have been hiding antennas in door frames, harvesting data as people walk through.

"They don't have to get back to that box. They actually send that information over a cellular network so they can lift your payment card data and use your card before you even leave the facility," Symantec Senior Researcher Brian Varner said.

Antionio Fonzieri is a Symantec employee from Italy. He's also last year's Cyberwar Games winner.

The exercise lets him think like a bad guy, which may look like fun, but it's not.

"Think about flight simulator for the pilots. Is that a game? It's not, right? So this is not really a game. Yes, it appears like a game. We have lots of fun, but it's not a game, so it helps enhance your capabilities," Fonzieri said.

Nikita Nathod is the sole woman competitor. She's 23 and works in India.

When asked how she keeps her energy level up during this event, she responded "By drinking coffees and waters and just taking a walk around."

Symantec leaders will share what they learn in the spirit of President Obama's call at Stanford for more cyberattack knowledge cooperation between the private sector and government.