Over the past few years inDrive has run bug bounty campaigns to help test our systems for vulnerabilities. Now our team has shared their advice based on this experience. (Find it here: https://hackernoon.com/strengthening-cybersecurity-breaking-down-indrives-bug-bounty-program)
Cybersecurity is critical: companies with a digital presence must invest heavily in protecting their data and systems from cyber threats. This can include working with so-called “white hat hackers,” ethical hackers who hunt down software bugs for a finder’s fee - i.e. running a bug bounty campaign.
This has several advantages: it’s potentially cost effective, because the company only pays for actual issues detected. It also harnesses a diverse range of talents – bug bounty hunters come from different backgrounds and have different expertise, so they may find problems others overlook. And they can spend much longer obsessing over certain points, so the company gains from a depth of investigation their regular team might not have time for.
However, our tech team is quick to point out that a bug bounty program alone will not solve all security problems, as it doesn’t cover all possible threats. But it can be a valuable part of a comprehensive approach to security – one that our tech team says should be used alongside security tools and techniques such as automated scanners, static and dynamic code analysis, security audits, and employee training, all of which they use to ensure the security of our app.
But it’s not as straightforward as it sounds! Running a bug bounty program is a complex process that requires careful planning to guard against possible business disruption, network saturation, and the involvement of unethical hackers – among other things. So it needs to be carefully set up and monitored to manage these risks and produce effective results.
So, if you’re considering a bug bounty, check out our team’s advice as a starting point. Happy hunting!
