Application security, Vulnerability Management

Facebook bug bounty program doles out $5M in five years

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.”

Bradley Barth

As director of community content at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for SC Media online conferences and events, as well as video/multimedia projects. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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