Forget the T-shirts! Yahoo boosts bug bounty to $15,000
Yahoo is vastly increasing the bounty bug-hunters can hope to grab if they report a security issue to the company. The internet giant came in for criticism last month after a group of researchers discovered a scripting vulnerability and were rewarded with a Yahoo voucher for $12.50 -- which could only be used to purchase Yahoo merchandise. The company now sees the error of its ways and is increasing the rewards it offers, potentially up to $15,000.
Bugs and security issues are to be expected with all software -- it's an unfortunate reality that problems can and do arise. It is difficult for any developer to test every possible usage scenario, so it is often the users who discover problems with apps and online services. It is not uncommon for big-name companies to offer some form of compensation for helping out. Yahoo has already demonstrated its enthusiasm for improving security with its two-factor authentication features second sign-in and App Password.
Mozilla Bug Bounty Raises Questions
The Mozilla Foundation has awarded $2,500 USD in "bug bounties" to a German man who tracked down five separate security flaws in the Mozilla browser's code. The bounty program is an effort to make open source software more safe and secure.
Since the program's inception in 2004, five individuals have received compensation. Michael Krax, the latest recipient, uncovered bugs in Mozilla's chrome privileges. Funding is provided by Linspire and Mark Shuttleworth.