PlayStation has announced the launch of its public bug bounty program aimed at finding vulnerabilities on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Network.
In a blog post, senior director of software engineering at SIE, Geoff Norton explained why the company has now decided to open up its bug bounty program to the public, saying:
“To date, we have been running our bug bounty program privately with some researchers. We recognize the valuable role that the research community plays in enhancing security, so we are pleased to announce our program for the wider community. “
Unlike Microsoft, which launched its Xbox rewards program earlier this year, PlayStation is partnering with the HackerOne bug rewards platform, which will pay rewards to security researchers who discover vulnerabilities in scope.
PlayStation Bug Bounty Program
PlayStation will pay security researchers to find low, medium, high and critical vulnerabilities on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Network.
According to the program’s HackerOne page, finding vulnerabilities on the PlayStation Network will fetch researchers between $ 100 for low severity vulnerabilities and up to $ 3,000 for critical vulnerabilities. However, PlayStation 4 vulnerabilities could be much more profitable for researchers as the company will pay $ 500 for low severity vulnerabilities and up to $ 50,000 for critical vulnerabilities.
Previous Sony consoles, including PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP, are out of the program’s scope, and any vulnerabilities discovered on them will not result in a bug bounty reward.
The PlayStation Bug Rewards Program will benefit not only security researchers, but players as well, as the security of the company’s products is a “critical part of creating amazing experiences” for its community.
