Inviting hackers to find vulnerabilities in your system may sound crazy, but these are typically white-hat hackers, also known as ethical hackers, who specialize in penetration testing for websites and software. Besides, it’s always better if a bug is discovered by someone who’s working for you than by someone working against you.
How Organizations Benefit from Bug Bounty Programs
With bug bounty programs, companies get more eyes on their system, increasing the likelihood that major vulnerabilities won’t be overlooked. There is no such thing as a perfect system. No matter how much you test your software, it’s going to have some bugs. It’s best to get that bug detected and fixed so it doesn’t lead to any major loss. Bug bounty programs actually save money. A data breach can lead to millions of dollars’ worth of damages, not to mention the damage to the company’s reputation. Paying a few thousand dollars through a bounty program is much cheaper than losing valuable data.
How Hackers Benefit from Bug Bounties
Bug bounty programs give them an opportunity to test their skills. The challenge adds to the fun of hacking. Also, it is white-hat hacking, which means it’s ethical and completely legal. They get cash rewards that can be quite substantial When they win a bounty, they gain recognition among their peers
Is it Worth a Try?
In 2016, Apple announced they would offer a bounty of up to $200,000 (!) to hackers who found vulnerabilities in their products – and they are not alone. Facebook, The Pentagon, Tesla, Google, and Microsoft all run similar programs, offering big bucks for big bugs. Facebook has actually paid people over $4.3 million since launching their bounty program in 2011. If you have the skill, it’s likely that someone out there will be glad to pay you for it. Can you be the next bug bounty hunter?
ExpressVPN Launches Its Own Bug Bounty Program
In 2016, ExpressVPN joined the list of companies with a bug bounty program to help increase its security. It’s offering cash rewards from $150 for minor issues up to $10,000 for major problems to ethical hackers. This program encourages white hat hackers, and anyone else to analyze ExpressVPN’s services, website, and apps for bugs and report any findings via the BugCrowd platform. This will help ensure it provides the best quality product to its users. As long as the penetration testing is ethical, you need not worry about legal recourse. ExpressVPN’s bug bounty program is just 1 of 4 measures it’s implementing to increase security. Other measures include higher overall security standards, an infrastructure security audit, and switching to diskless RAM servers. These additional security measures are all part of ExpressVPN’s promise to bring its security to the next level and will make one of the best VPNs available even better.
The Complete Bug Bounty List
Here’s a list of all the bug bounty programs that are currently active. Think you can break open a bug and claim the bounty? If detecting bugs is your thing, you can easily become a millionaire. Try your luck on any of these bounty programs. The information above can be used to track you, target you for ads, and monitor what you do online.
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