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- Teddy Joe
- Correspondent to cybernetic affairs
Hackers earned a record $ 40million (£ 28million) in 2020 from reporting software vulnerabilities through a leading reporting service in exchange for bonuses.
Hiker One said nine hackers made more than $ 1 million after affected organizations were made aware of their findings.
The total income of a Romanian, who started looking for computer faults two years ago, was over $ 2 million. One of the UK’s highest earners was a hacker who earned $ 370,000 last year.
The platform concluded that the epidemic gave volunteers more time to move forward in this endeavor.
A survey organized by “Hacker One” indicated that 38 percent of respondents have spent more time on hacking since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Many respondents work part time and live in dozens of different countries, including the United States, Argentina, China, India, Nigeria and Egypt.
The amount of money given to a hacker depends on the severity of the security vulnerability discovered and can range from less than $ 140 to a much higher amount.
Hacker-One, which is based in California, charges subscription fees to companies that use its platform.
UK lecturer Katie Paxton-Veer at the University of Manchester says she tackles security loopholes in her spare time.
She goes on to say that while making money is good, it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme.
“I gained around 12,000 pounds in 12 months,” she told the BBC.
“I remember discovering the vulnerability for the first time. I was amazed and trembling, and I realized that what I had done was a wonderful thing. I saved people from a very big rift of security.”
“I don’t just use my time to try to win an award. I actively help secure the apps I use, which is why this poses a challenge that is marred by the desire to do something right.” , she said.
Another French platform called Yes-We-Hack said the 22,000 hackers working there discovered twice as many security vulnerabilities in 2020 compared to last year.
This platform has not released the figures relating to the monetary rewards that have been made through its service.
“With new risks and the importance of cybersecurity in helping businesses overcome economic hardships, a growing number of senior security officials have resorted to securing information by awarding bounties to those who discover a security vulnerability, “said Guillaume Vasu-Hollier, general manager of the company.
Another company, an information security platform called Bag-Crowd, said it had seen a 50% increase in exposure to content on its platform in the past 12 months.
And commercial programs that specialize in giving bonuses to those who discover a security vulnerability have grown in popularity over the past five years, but some experts believe that there are security holes involved in the system. ‘it is overused.
Victor Jeffers, an internet security researcher who runs the GDI Foundation in the Netherlands tasked with uncovering vulnerabilities, said he never accepted money for what he did.
“We do not participate in the rewards for those who discover a security vulnerability, as they are sometimes very narrow and only give researchers permission to search for security vulnerabilities in certain parts of the system,” he added.
“We want to be able to ethically seek loopholes where we believe they exist and to preserve our independence,” he said.
“But for young Internet security researchers or students, these commercial platforms that offer rewards to those who discover a security vulnerability are great because they provide the user with a lot of protection, resources and a starting point. ideal, ”he concluded. .
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