HP will pay researchers $ 10,000 to hack its printers

HP invites researchers to hack their printers, and will pay them up to $ 10,000 if they succeed.

As security breaches have become more commonplace in recent years, companies have become accustomed to offering bugs, hoping that the community of security researchers can help spot vulnerabilities before the hackers do it. HP announced Tuesday a bug-premium program that it says will be the first for the printing industry.

HP works with Bugcrowd, a company offering participatory security, to help manage the bonus program. Researchers who discover bugs in printers will inform Bugcrowd, who will check them and offer rewards of up to $ 10,000 depending on the severity of the security threats they pose.

Bugcrowd reported detecting a 21% increase in security vulnerabilities "Businesses, health care systems, government and educational entities have begun to realize how real the threat is, but resources are scarce and reduced, "Bugcrowd said in a blog announcing his 2018 Bounty Bug Report. "The number of vulnerabilities in nature exceeds the ability to find and solve them."

While many companies focus their network security efforts on servers and laptops, printers are an often overlooked entry point into business networks. A report of German researchers last year examined 20 printers from different manufacturers and found vulnerabilities in each of them. These vulnerabilities can lead to printer hijacking or the disclosure of sensitive information.

HP is the leading manufacturer of printers, with approximately 40% of the global market, according to IDC.