What are Bug Bounties? And why are they important?

Introduction

The first one ever recorded was in 1983.

What is a bug bounty?

Bug bounties are rewards offered to security researchers who find and report bugs or flaws in systems like network infrastructure, web applications and mobile apps. The term bug bounty is a play on the term “bounty hunter” — someone who collects rewards for finding bugs in systems.

Bug bounties began as an incentive program at Netscape Communications Corporation in 1995; today they are used throughout the tech world as well as other industries such as finance and healthcare.

Bug bounties are illegal?

Bug bounties are also illegal in Iran because of its policies against citizens using technology from other countries (such as USA). Many companies use bug bounty hunters like HackerOne or BugCrowd as a cheaper alternative to hiring full-time security researchers

Why are Bug bounty hunter important in Cyber Security?

They are often security researchers, ethical hackers and security professionals who help preventing cyber attacks by finding vulnerabilities in software applications.

What are some skill I need to become a bug bounty hunter?

  • You need to have programming skills.
  • You need to understand the software you are testing and its architecture.
  • You need to be able to follow the rules and guidelines of the program.

You need to be able to identify and report bugs in the software. You need to know how to write clear and concise bug reports that will help developers fix the problem quickly.

Some companies pay as much as $20k for a single bug.

  • Facebook: The social media giant has paid up to $5,000 for a single bug in 2018.
  • Google: The tech giant has paid up to $3,133 for a single bug in 2018.
  • Uber: The ride-hailing platform has paid up to $10,000 for a single bug in 2018.* Netflix: The video streaming platform has paid up to $3,333 for a single bug in 2018.* Twitter: The microblogging site has paid up to $2,500 for one of their bugs since 2016

The average reward for a valid submission is $757 per vulnerability.

There are many reasons why you might want to get involved in bug bounties! Bug bounties can be fun, rewarding, help improve security, earn money and more!

The US Defense Department paid out over $3 million dollars to hackers working on its bug bounty program since 2016.

There are many benefits for companies to have an active bug bounty program. These include:

  • Finding bugs before real-world attackers do;
  • Improving the security of your product or service;
  • Having external experts review and audit your code; and
  • Developing a better relationship with your customers.

The average time it takes to find a bug is 4 hours for the researcher and 2 days for the company to process it.

There is no limit to the number of bugs you can find in any time frame.

You can find a bug in any area of code, such as user interface (UI), application logic and design flaws. You can also find out issues with server-side components and data security vulnerabilities too!

The key here is not only to scan for errors but also identify how these errors could cause loss or compromise sensitive information about users’ accounts or personal information stored on your servers.

Some have received jobs as a result of their contributions over time with record setting wins!

  • You can make some money while doing something fun and interesting
  • You’ll learn about new products first hand
  • You’ll meet other people who share your interests while trying out new things

There are many reasons to take part in a bounty program, but getting involved can be beneficial to everyone involved!

  • You can make money.
  • You can be recognized by the community and employers.
  • You can help companies improve their security.
  • You can learn new things from participating in bug bounties, as well as from other participants and researchers in the industry who share knowledge on social media channels like Twitter and Reddit.
  • Many bug bounty programs offer rewards for finding vulnerabilities before they are exploited by malicious hackers — so you could even win a reward before anyone else finds it!

Conclusion

Yours Truly,

~ TheBigBadWolf

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Cybersecurity Professionals are the modern-day Super-Heroes of the web.

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TheBigBadWolf

Cybersecurity Professionals are the modern-day Super-Heroes of the web.