New Xbox bug bounty program will provide up to $20,000 rewards per vulnerability

2 min. read

Published on January 31, 2020

published on January 31, 2020

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Earlier today, Microsoft announced the Xbox Bounty program which, like most similar bounty systems, will reward those who discover security vulnerabilities on the platform with cash prizes ranging from $500 up to $20,000.

“The Xbox bounty program invites gamers, security researchers, and technologists around the world to help identify security vulnerabilities in the Xbox network and services, and share them with the Microsoft Xbox team through Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD),” Microsoft’s Chloé Brown said in an official blog post. “Eligible submissions with a clear and concise proof of concept (POC) are eligible for awards up to US$20,000.”

An official website has been set up which, while basic in appearance, does show who can submit vulnerabilities, how much each sort of discovery can earn, and how to get in contact with Microsoft to participate.

Bounty programs such as this one are fairly common in the tech-oriented companies as they allow organizations to significantly expand their testing and increase their odds of discovering major vulnerabilities before they’re made public. They also provide an incentive for those that do discover major flaws to privately report them to a company instead of taking to social media and online forums to let the entire world know of their discovery and take advantage of it.

Are you thinking of participating in this program? Let us know in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest and Twitter for more Xbox gaming news.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.