Bug Bounty & Vulnerability Disclosure Programs
Setting Up a Bug Bounty Program
Implementing a bug bounty program can significantly enhance your company's security posture. Here's how to get started:
- Define the scope of your program (which systems, applications, etc. are included)
- Establish clear rules and guidelines for researchers
- Determine reward structures based on vulnerability severity
- Set up a secure communication channel for report submissions
- Assemble a team to triage and verify reported vulnerabilities
- Create a process for fixing confirmed vulnerabilities
- Develop a system for tracking and managing reports
Key Elements of a Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
Scope
Clearly define which systems, applications, and types of vulnerabilities are covered.
Safe Harbor
Provide legal protection for good-faith security research within the program's scope.
Submission Guidelines
Outline the process for submitting vulnerability reports and required information.
Communication
Describe how and when researchers can expect updates on their submissions.
Rewards
If applicable, explain the reward structure and eligibility criteria.
Responsible Disclosure
Set expectations for responsible disclosure and coordinated release of vulnerability information.
Typical Bug Bounty Payouts
The following table provides a general range of payouts for different severity levels of vulnerabilities. Note that actual payouts may vary based on the specific program and the impact of the vulnerability.
| Severity | Description | Typical Payout Range |
|---|---|---|
| P1 (Critical) | Severe vulnerabilities that pose immediate risk | $5,000 - $30,000+ |
| P2 (High) | Significant vulnerabilities with potential for serious impact | $1,000 - $5,000 |
| P3 (Medium) | Moderate vulnerabilities with limited impact | $250 - $1,000 |
| P4 (Low) | Minor vulnerabilities with minimal impact | $50 - $250 |
Out-of-Scope Bugs
The following types of issues are typically considered out of scope for bug bounty programs:
- Theoretical vulnerabilities without proof of exploitability
- Vulnerabilities in outdated or unsupported versions of the application
- Issues that require physical access to a user's device
- Social engineering attacks
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
- Spam or brute force attacks
- Issues related to user behavior (e.g., weak passwords)
- Self-XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) that requires user interaction
- Clickjacking and issues only exploitable through clickjacking
- Vulnerabilities in third-party applications or websites
- Issues that are already known to the security team or have been previously reported
- Descriptive error messages (e.g. stack traces, application or server errors)
- HTTP 404 codes/pages or other HTTP non-200 codes/pages
- Fingerprinting/banner disclosure on common/public services
- Disclosure of known public files or directories (e.g. robots.txt)
- Presence of application or web browser 'autocomplete' functionality
Benefits of a Bug Bounty Program
- Access to a diverse pool of security researchers and ethical hackers
- Cost-effective way to identify and address security vulnerabilities
- Demonstrates commitment to security, enhancing customer trust
- Encourages continuous improvement of security practices
- Potential for discovering critical vulnerabilities before malicious actors