Third 'Blue Hat' hacker event at Microsoft

Microsoft employees are getting another security reality check this week. The software maker is hosting its third "Blue Hat" event, where hackers demonstrate flaws in Microsoft's product security.

A year ago, Microsoft invited several hackers to its Redmond, Wash., headquarters for the first time. That get-together was such a success that Microsoft decided to host such events twice a year. The second Blue Hat was last fall.

"It had a huge benefit to our developers," Stephen Toulouse, a program manager in Microsoft's security unit, told CNET News.com last year. The event gives executives and developers a different look at product security, he said.

The multiday meeting of Microsoft insiders with independent researchers provides each side with a glimpse into the other's world. The goal, for Microsoft, is to improve its relationship with security researchers and find ways to develop more secure software, the company said in a statement Thursday.

Microsoft is not sharing any details about its third Blue Hat gathering. The event started Wednesday and ends Friday.