Security researchers, get ready to hit the “Like” button: Marking the fifth anniversary of its bug bounty program, Facebook this week announced that it has paid out more than $5 million since the initiative's inception in 2011. During this time, over 900 researchers have been compensated for their efforts.
In the first half of 2016 alone, the social media giant received over 9,000 reports and rewarded 149 researchers with $611,741. Researchers based in India earned bounties most frequently period, followed by researchers in the U.S. and Mexico.
Additionally, the company cited recent updates to its bug bounty program, including the addition of WhatsApp and more detailed award notifications that explain how specific reward amounts are determined. Facebook also said it is preparing to “share more educational resources on security fundamentals and topics specific to our products.”
