Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Critical Bug Bounty Reports on the Rise, HackerOne Finds

    Written by

    Sean Michael Kerner
    Published July 12, 2018
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      HackerOne released its 2018 Hacker-Powered Security Report on July 11, providing insights into the current state of the bug bounty marketplace.

      The report is based on 78,275 security vulnerability reports that HackerOne received on its managed bug bounty platform, which handles programs for more than 1,000 organizations. The 46-page report reveals that the average bug bounty paid for a critical vulnerability in the past year was $2,000, up from the $1,923 that HackerOne reported in its 2017 study. HackerOne also found that the volume of submitted high or critical severity vulnerabilities rose by 22 percent year-over-year.

      All told, HackerOne reported that $11.7 million in bug bounties were paid to security researchers on its platform over the course of 2017.

      HackerOne is a managed bug bounty provider, which encourages security researchers to responsibly disclose vulnerabilities to vendors that are on the platform. Valid bug reports are rewarded by the participating vendors with a bug bounty payment. While some bug submissions are not considered to be valid, HackerOne reported that in 2017, 80 percent of submitted bugs were, in fact, valid.

      Looking at the top bug bounty payouts, HackerOne found that across its platform, there were a total of 116 unique critical vulnerabilities, where researchers were awarded $10,000 or more. In terms of payouts, the top bounty awarded for a single report reached $75,000 in 2017. That figure has already been eclipsed in 2018, with the HackerOne managed Intel bug bounty program awarding a security researcher $100,000 for a new Spectre speculative execution vulnerability.

      HackerOne isn’t the only bug bounty platform provider that has seen an increase in researcher payouts over the past year. Bugcrowd reported on June 6 that across its platform the average bug bounty grew 73 percent year-over-year to $781.

      Payment Geography

      While bug bounties can be offered by any organization, HackerOne reported that 83 percent of bounties are paid by organizations based in the United States. Researchers from around the world are also able to submit bugs, though the U.S leads there as well, with 13 percent of all bounties awarded to U.S.-based researchers. India is second for researcher payouts at 13 percent, followed by Russia (6 percent), the U.K (4 percent) and Germany (3 percent).

      There are different types of bug bounty programs, with some public and open to participation, while others are private and open only to those that have been invited. Private bug bounty programs accounted for 79 percent of all programs on HackerOne last year, down from 88 percent in 2017. HackerOne reported that 63 percent of public bug bounties are from technology vendors. In contrast, the top industry for private bug bounty programs comes from the consumer goods vertical.

      Vulnerabilities

      Once again, Cross Site Scripting (XSS) was one of the top vulnerabilities across all industry sectors. For the technology vertical, XSS represented 21 percent of vulnerability disclosures. Unauthorized Information disclosure issues actually topped XSS in the past year, accounting for 30 percent of reports in the technology industry.

      While HackerOne rewards researchers for disclosing security vulnerabilities, it’s up to the vendors to fix the issues. The time it took to resolve reported issues varied by industry, with consumer goods companies resolving issues within 14 days. In contrast, technology vendors on average took 64 days to resolve reported issues.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and writer for several leading IT business web sites.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×