Apple Offers Big Money for Bug Hunters
Apple has joined the ranks of tech companies offering cash rewards to people who alert them to security flaws, reports TechCrunch.
The company has long been a holdout in what is becoming an increasingly common practice in the tech sector. But a company official recently announced Apple would pay between $25,000 and $200,000 to people who report flaws.
Although Apple has been under fire for waiting so long to put in place a bounty program, it is coming in with bigger rewards than offered by other companies, according to Wired:
At the high end, the program will pay out up to $200,000 for vulnerabilities found in Apple’s secure boot firmware components — the fundamental first protection that keeps your devices safe. … To put that figure in perspective, Microsoft offers a $100,000 reward for Windows 10 vulnerabilities, and companies like Facebook and Twitter pay out large total sums, but these are comprised of many smaller rewards given out over time.
It remains to be seen if this will be enough cash to entice such bug hunters as hackers, since government entities and criminals are willing to pay much more. For example, the FBI is rumored to have paid $1 million to the person who figured out how to unlock the phone of the San Bernardino shooter, says TechCrunch.
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The program, set to start in September, initially will be open by invitation only to people who’ve previously worked with the company, though it may expand over time.
Apple is offering to double the reward if the person donates the money to a charity.
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This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'Apple Offers Big Money for Bug Hunters'.