'Mayhem' wins epic computer battle

A software program dubbed "Mayhem" was poised to win the final round of a three-year contest to teach computers to launch and defend against cyberattacks, earning a $2 million prize for the team that wrote the winning code.

The event, known as the Cyber Grand Challenge, concluded Thursday evening in a Las Vegas convention center ballroom. The digital battle among software programs running on seven supercomputers was conducted on a stage in a Las Vegas ballroom.

Thousands watched as announcers presented a play-by-play account of the competition. It took place ahead of Friday's start of DEF CON, a hacking convention expected to draw more than 20,000 people to two sprawling Las Vegas convention centers.