Microsoft, once known for its tightly controlled, if not opaque, security processes, recently invited a small number of hackers onto its Redmond campus to crack the company`s products for all to see.

Blue Hat V2 teamed well-known “white hat” hackers with Microsoft employees in an attempt to break into and expose security weaknesses in the company`s products. More than 1 000 Microsoft developers, managers and security experts attended, including executives Jim Allchin and Kevin Johnson, co-presidents of the company`s Platform Products & Services Division.

The recent Blue Hat event follows a similar gathering held in March at the company`s headquarters. Microsoft uses the sessions to teach its developers how malicious hackers view their software and to improve the company`s secure development processes, according to Stephen Toulouse, security program manager in the Security Business & Technology Unit at Microsoft.