What is Bug Bounty Program & How to start Bug Bounty?

How would you like to get paid for finding security holes in popular websites? Bug bounty programs are becoming increasingly popular with tech companies, and it's no surprise why. Companies are willing to pay top dollar for information about vulnerabilities which could lead to data theft or worse. See how bug bounty programs work, and how you could start earning money today by finding security holes in some of the most popular websites on the internet.

1. What is a bug bounty program, and how do they work?

A bug bounty program is a method of crowdsourced security testing. Hackers are rewarded for finding security vulnerabilities in the software a company is using. Bug bounty programs are a win-win for companies and hackers. Companies get free security testing — otherwise known as bug bounties — and hackers are rewarded for their efforts.

How a bug bounty program works

Companies hire a security researcher to find vulnerabilities in a software product (e.g. a website or online service) that the company is using. The researcher is compensated based on the number of vulnerabilities found. Typically, once a vulnerability is discovered, the researcher will be paid a predetermined amount by the company. Participants in the program must sign a contract committing to finding a certain set of security vulnerabilities in exchange for the bounty.

Entry Requirements

A company must have an existing bug bounty program to organize a program with a participating researcher. Participating researchers must have access to the product the company is using to gain access (i.e. scenario 3). After gaining access, participants are expected to carry out their testing, identifying and reporting any issues. Participants must provide a detailed report of their findings and any efforts to mitigate the issue.

Participants will typically interview the target company’s users, technical staff, server logs, and any other documentation related to the product the target company is using. All potential vulnerabilities must be valued using the internal bug bounty system, as modified by the company. This internal bug bounty system is usually represented by a rating out of 10. A participant is only eligible to receive payment for a vulnerability rated a certain number of points out of 10. The maximum value of a reward for a single vulnerability is capped based on internal company policies.

When bounty program participants identify a security issue that might be exploitable by a potential target company, they report it to the company. Bounty program participants are contracted by the company with the specific method of how they are going to report their findings, such as by email, forum posts, or social media.

2. How to find vulnerabilities in popular websites

Here are some ways you can find vulnerabilities in popular websites.

When a website is visited, the user is sent a JavaScript object containing a lot of information. Succeeding execution of this JavaScript code sends a request to a URL. A website might use the URL to form commands for the browser, like the web browser to execute some program. All modern browsers have an add-on called the Content Security Policy (CSP) which aims to help mitigate data leaks and vulnerabilities.

A CSP complements the whitelisting technique described above and is a built-in feature of many modern browsers. It is triggered when a site receives a standard HTTPS:// from a web browser, as above.

To implement a CSP, a website must have a special tag in the HTML and JavaScript code which is called a CSP Policy. When a page receives a standard HTTPS:// from a web browser, the CSP Policy must hold a special value called a scoped policy. A scoped policy refers to a JavaScript function or variable inside the page which can only be accessed if the page is visited. Once a website discovers that a visitor has effected an HTTPS:// with a scoped policy, it forces the script in the page to run under the allow-script-src=https:// specification. This means the code in question can access the variable exclusively, and it won’t leak out any data until it’s executed.

Adding a new tag to the page means using a different mechanism to enforce the same security guidelines. It is commonly called a general policy tag. Because it adds a new tag to the page without specifying a specific value, it’s considered a grey area as to whether a policy is in effect.

3. How to make money by finding security holes in popular websites

If you’re a hacker and you’re looking to make money, then you might want to consider finding vulnerabilities in popular websites. If you’re able to find vulnerabilities in a popular website, then you can notify the company and get paid by the company for finding the vulnerability. The rewards are paid in the form of money, and some of the top sites offer as much as $1 million for one successful exploit.

What is a browser?

A browser is what we refer to whenever we talk about using an internet browser. These modern-day applications are used to access the web — websites — in whatever manner that is appropriate for the device on which it is installed.

When a user utilizes a web browser, they are typically performing network communications and accessing the internet. Let’s talk about the various types of browsers that a user might utilize:

Whenever a browser performs these two functions, it will be referred to as a web browser. However, there are many different variations of these original two functions, the scope of which is defined by the browser vendor.

Web browsers, when used, can access many different web resources, depending on the capabilities of the specific browser that is being used. That web resource could be a piece of source code, a set of HTML elements, or the contents of an external file.

JavaScript is used to run any web-based application. There are many different kinds of JavaScript; however, the purpose of each type of JavaScript is essentially the same:

JavaScript has existed as an independent language, known as ECMAScript, from the start. However, it has been split into many different modules that work together for the optimal user experience.

For a more comprehensive discussion on the nature of JavaScript that goes well beyond this introductory overview, we recommend a book by the same title written by Larsen Thompson.

Conclusion: If you have a knack for discovering security flaws, then it's time to start earning money for your skills. Bug bounty programs are becoming increasingly common, and with good reason: they allow tech companies to fix their vulnerabilities without losing valuable information due to theft or worse. Start making cash today by researching the most popular websites on the internet!

Bug bounties are becoming increasingly popular and common these days, and with good reason: they allow companies to pay people to find their vulnerabilities, so they can fix them instead of them being exploited. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. For those with a knack for discovering security flaws, bug bounties are an excellent way to make money online. Before we talk about the financing of bug bounties, it’s useful to discuss what it is and why companies are interested in paying for finding computer vulnerabilities.

Originally developed in the 80s by researchers at MIT and Carnegie Mellon universities, bug bounty programs are becoming increasingly popular. They were originally created to empower researchers and companies by paying people for information that might lead to a successful exploit.

According to Emily Liu, a public relations pro at Elevation Security:

Bounties are a great addition to ongoing bug bounty programs, as many security researchers schedule their work around the specific bounty payout time.

Over the past few years, bug bounties have become popular among developers, device makers, and various other companies as a tool to protect themselves against computer attacks and bring hackers to justice when they’re found. For example, Appveyor is a website that decides how many points per month contractors earn for finding security flaws on Android apps. The higher the score, the higher the price tag the company will pay you.

Companies move onto more advanced bugs more quickly depending on how valuable the vulnerability is, but to incentivize security researchers to find more vulnerabilities, they have to be compensated for their efforts. It’s important to note that there are multiple types of bug bounties, with some being more lucrative than others.

Compensated researchers are those who find a unique bug that is worth bigger rewards such as $250,000, $500,000, or even $1 million.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk uses Tesla’s bug bounty program for this very reason. He rewards researchers who find a security vulnerability in his electric car firm with up to $250,000 if they can responsibly disclose the vulnerability to Tesla owners.