Getting Started with Bug Bounties: 2024 Guide

Cyberattacks can result in service outages, permanent loss of sensitive data, identity theft, and bad press for a company. Software organisations diligently screen for security vulnerabilities using bug bounty programmes to minimise risks and losses. 

Indian Cybersecurity Solutions launched its bug bounty program in 2017 as a means for penetration testers to showcase their skills to participating organisations. The upside? If they find a potentially harmful bug, they get credit on the company's website and from Indian Cybersecurity Solutions. Many leading tech firms rely on ethical hackers to assess system weaknesses, in addition to leveraging the power of bug bounty programmes to aid in their endeavours.

Read on to explore how you can get started with bug bounty programmes. 

What is a bug bounty? 

A bug bounty is a monetary reward offered to white-hat hackers for successfully pinpointing a security bug that causes a vulnerability. A vulnerability is a “weak spot” that enables black-hat hackers, criminals who break into networks with malicious intent, to gain unauthorised access to a website, tool, or system. More often than not, a security vulnerability can have catastrophic implications for an organisation.

4 benefits of bug bounty programmes 

Combining bug bounty programmes with penetration testing facilitates an authorised simulated attack to evaluate security. Doing this helps organisations do the following:

1. Make use of shared intelligence from global security specialists

2. Find bugs that evaded the attention of the internal security team’s pen testers and vulnerability scanners

3. Foster goodwill in the cybersecurity community

4. Prevent unforeseen losses

How does a bug bounty programme work?

Bug bounty programmes can vary significantly from firm to firm. However, a few parameters remain constant. 

Before launching a bounty, a company sets the programme's scope and budget. The scope defines which systems, tools, or software a hacker may test.

After finding a flaw within the specified scope, a hacker creates a disclosure report that contains a breakdown of the risk using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), a description of the flaw, and its possible impact. Furthermore, the report includes security advice and fixes for the flaw.

Any vulnerability discovered violating set rules is not eligible for a bounty. Organisations can also choose to host a private bug bounty. 

How much money can bug bounty hunters expect to make? 

Depending on the nature and severity of the security bug, payouts can range from a few thousand to several million dollars. It can be lucrative, but financial benefits are only the beginning. For example, in 2023, the India Book of Records recognised Nikhil Rane from Khar for his record-breaking achievement of finding more than 198 bugs in a two-year period. For some of his discoveries, he earned monetary rewards. For others, he got company “swag,” like medals and company-branded goods. 

To understand the potential for compensation, consider the following examples based on previous bug bounties held by global tech companies.

1.  Apple Security Bounty 

Apple's bug bounty programme was private at launch but made public in late 2019. The tech giant has paid researchers nearly $20 million since 2020, with an average compensation of USD 40,000 in the "Product" category [1].      

• Remuneration: USD 5,000– USD 2,000,000 [2]

• Programme status: Live

2.  Google and Alphabet Vulnerability Rewards Programme 

The scope is broad with Google. Any Google-owned or Alphabet subsidiary web service that manages “reasonably sensitive user data” falls within the firm’s Vulnerability Reward Programme (VRP) scope. For example, all content in the *.google.com, *.youtube.com, *.blogger.com, and *.verily.com domains, among others, qualify.

• Remuneration: USD 100–USD 31,337 [3]

• Programme status: Live

3.  Microsoft Bug Bounty 

Microsoft Bug Bounty extends to the firm’s cloud, platform, defence, and grant programmes. In 2022, the firm paid $13.7 million in rewards to over 330 security researchers across 46 countries [4]. 

• Remuneration: Up to USD 250,000 [4]

• Programme status: Live

4. Intel Bug Bounty 

The Intel Bug Bounty programme targets the company's hardware, firmware, and software vulnerabilities. Residents of US government-embargoed countries are not eligible to participate in the bug bounty. 

• Remuneration: USD 500–USD 100,000 [5]

• Programme status: Live

Did you know? In 2012, Meta (then Facebook) offered custom "White Hat" debit cards that could be refilled with cash each time a security researcher identified a new vulnerability.

How to become a bug bounty hunter

Understanding web architecture and applications is a great place to learn about being a bug bounty hunter. You may also consider reading online write-ups or books about various security-focused topics to stay ahead of trends. 

Bug Bounty Forum and Bug Bounty World can introduce you to exciting forum discussions where you can ask questions, connect with security analysts, gain feedback, and more. 

Learn computer skills. 

Honing your computer skills is critical. The following technologies can help you get started in the ethical hacking industry:

• Computer networking (HTTP, TCP/IP)

• Operating systems (Linux, Windows, macOS)

• Web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript

• Programming languages (Python, Java)

Bug bounty training

Like any other skill, bug hunting requires practice. The following are resources that may be helpful: 

• Hacksplaining teaches about vulnerabilities through interactive animations and text boxes. It also offers quizzes to test your knowledge.

• When you feel ready, try BugBountyHunter for a more realistic bug-hunting experience. The free challenges in this platform are based on real-world bug bounty findings. 

• Crafting vulnerability reports is another bridge to cross, but Google has the resources to ease the process. Bug Hunter University, supervised by the Google Security Team, explains qualifying and non-qualifying report types and how to write them. 

Did you know? Although a degree in cybersecurity or a related field helps, it’s not always necessary. At 19, self-taught hacker Santiago Lopez was the first to earn over USD 1,000,000 on the HackerOne ethical hacking platform. 

Next steps 

Getting started with bug bounties can be rewarding and lucrative, but you’ll need a combination of technical skills, knowledge of web architecture, and persistence to succeed. As you embark on this journey, remember that practice makes perfect, so don't be afraid to start small and gradually increase the complexity of the vulnerabilities you target.

You can also hone your skills further and build robust cybersecurity knowledge with the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate on Coursera. Build a portfolio of cybersecurity skills at your own pace while earning a credential for your CV.