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11/21/2024 08:12:20 pm

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Uber Launches $10,000 Bug Bounty For Successful Hackers

Uber is losing $1 billion per year because of heated competition

(Photo : Getty Images) Uber is losing about $1 billion a year because of the intense competition it faces in China with Didi Kuaidi.

Online transportation network company Uber is offering a big bounty worth $10,000 to hackers who can successfully find bugs in its system. Uber said that minor bugs will amount to a few thousand dollars, but for hackers who can point out a major security flaw into Uber's system is expected to earn the five-figure paycheck.

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The bug bounty will commence on May 1, according to CNN. Security researchers will have 90 days to hack Uber's system and identify these bugs. Those who are able to find four or more bugs will receive a bonus that is the equivalent of 10 percent of the average of the previous four bugs. Uber said that through this scheme, hackers will be encouraged to keep on searching for bugs on its system.

Along with the bug bounty, Uber will also give out a sort of "treasure map" which aims to help security researchers navigate through the company's code.

According to The Verge, bugs discovered during the 90-day period will be classified in three levels, each with corresponding bounty that escalates as the level rises. Medium bugs will net hackers $3,000 and covers a bug that will allow hackers to change a driver's picture or any vulnerability that allows the bulk lookup of user unique identifiers.

The second level will be tagged Significant bugs and can net hackers up to $5,000. These include bugs that might lead to missing authorization checks which could further develop into exposure of email addresses, names, phone numbers and date of birth.

Critical bugs are described as ones that can initiate "full account takeover." These type of bugs can expose sensitive user data like social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers and driver license images. Critical bugs are the most prized category and should net hackers the $10,000 payout.

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