Word of the Day: bug bounty program

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms |July 18, 2017

bug bounty program A bug bounty program, also called a vulnerability rewards program (VRP), is a crowdsourcing initiative that rewards individuals for discovering and reporting software bugs. Bug bounty programs are often initiated to supplement internal code audits and penetration tests as part of an organization's vulnerability management strategy. Many software vendors and websites run bug bounty programs, paying out cash rewards to software security researchers and white hat hackers who report software vulnerabilities that have the potential to be exploited. Bug reports must document enough information for for the organization offering the bounty to be able to reproduce the vulnerability. Typically, payment amounts are commensurate with the size of the organization, the difficulty in hacking the system and how much impact on users a bug might have. Mozilla paid out a $3,000 flat rate bounty for bugs that fit its criteria, while Facebook has given out as much as $20,000 for a single bug report. Google paid Chrome operating system bug reporters a combined $700,000 in 2012 and Microsoft paid UK researcher James Forshaw $100,000 for an attack vulnerability in Windows 8.1. In 2016, Apple announced rewards that max out at $200,000 for a flaw in the iOS secure boot firmware components and up to $50,000 for execution of arbitrary code with kernel privileges or unauthorized iCloud access. While the use of ethical hackers to find bugs can be very effective, such programs can also be controversial. To limit potential risk, some organizations are offering closed bug bounty programs that require an invitation. Apple, for example, has limited bug bounty participation to few dozen researchers. Quote of the Day "Bug bounty programs aren't meant to be a sole security strategy; enterprises should be looking to prevent bugs and build security into their software to prevent the problems in the first place." - Casey Ellis Related Terms and Tags RELATED TERMS bug crowdsource testing penetration testing vulnerability management ethical hacker RELATED TAGS Hacker tools, and techniques underground sites and hacking groups Security testing and ethical hacking   Learning Center What are the pros and cons of hiring an ex-hacker? Hiring an ex-hacker can boost an enterprise's security stature, but doing so comes with its own risks. Here are the pros and cons of hiring ex-hackers. Q&A: Talking bug bounty programs with Bugcrowd's Casey Ellis Bugcrowd founder and CEO Casey Ellis offers insights into rewards, best practices and tips for getting the most bang for the buck. Bug bounty programs narrow the crowd Some companies are experimenting with how to get higher quality submissions than crowdsourcing bug bounty programs. Despite benefits, skepticism surrounds bug bounty programs RSA Conference panelists addressed the benefits and potential negative impact of bug bounty programs. Cyberextortion reaches new heights with bug poaching This episode of the Risk & Repeat podcast tackles cyberextortion, bug hunting and enterprise bug bounty programs as well as other security news of the week. Stay In Touch FOLLOW US CONTACT AN EDITOR For feedback about any of our articles or to send us your article ideas, please contact us at: mrouse@techtarget.com About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2016 TechTarget. All rights reserved.