Tech-giant Apple has finally launched a bug bounty programme, offering up to $200,000 for those who find unnoticed bugs and vulnerabilities in its software and hardware products. Announced at this year's Black Hat conference, the program is scheduled to start in September this year.
This is the first time Apple has started a programme to find vulnerabilities and bugs in its products. Although initially reluctant about such a programme, the tech giant decided to launch the bug bounty due to the increased risk of data theft and breach of networks.
Several tech companies including Google, Microsoft and Facebook already utilise bug bounty programs.
Along with these companies, even automotive companies such as Fiat Chrysler, Tesla Motors and General Motors and the FBI have also been using bug bounty programmes to find out loopholes in their products.
Apple, however, was instead reliant on its internal staff and consultants to keep track of vulnerabilities.
At present, Apple’s bug bounty programme will be an invite only programme where only a handful of hacking professionals will be involved. As the programme moves forward, it could be extended to non-members who find and submit significant bugs.
The invite only bug bounty programme has been designed in such a way as Apple believes that public bug bounty programmes generally create lot of noise with little output, leading to high costs in engineering resources needed to investigate claims. On the other hand, invite-only programmes like these can be productive and less resource consuming.
