Bug bounty programs are common these days. In case you didn¡¯t know, basically if someone finds a bug or a vulnerability software of a particular service that compromises its security and if they report to a company's bug bounty program before anyone else, they're offered a hefty reward for their discovery,?and it can range from tens of thousands of dollars to even hundreds of thousands.
Apple too has a bug bounty program like this, but it was limited to selected bounty hunters approved by Apple. However, now, the Cupertino giant has opened its bounty program for all with some really handsome rewards.
Apple¡¯s bug bounty program has been known to offer great rewards in the past, ranging from $100,000 (approximately Rs 7 lakhs) going all the way to even $ 1 million (approximately Rs 70 lakhs).
In case you were interested to look for bugs and report them to Apple, here are the areas that Apple wants you to look its operating systems like iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS. Moreover, these bugs must be reported on the latest versions of the OS, in order to be eligible.
Additionally, a bounty hunter, if he finds a bug, cannot disclose it publicly before Apple releases the security advisory for the same. Usually, when Apple reveals the bug it also tells you whether they¡¯ve fixed the issue with an update or what else is necessary to stay safe.
In August, Apple made a major announcement at the annual Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, where, instead of just iOS, they opened it out to other platforms like Apple TV and Apple Watch. Most importantly though, they're offering bounties for MacOS for the very first time.
This was also the time when the iPhone maker upped the largest reward it offers from $200,000 to a massive $1 million for researchers that find flaws in the iPhone. That's the largest reward ever offered by a company in exchange for security loopholes.