BY: Prit Patel, Dell Technologies, Senior Security Engineer
What Is a Bug Bounty Program?
A bug bounty program is an extension of your security strategy. It enables researchers from around the world to report vulnerabilities found in your products, applications, services, and infrastructure, etc. in exchange for a reward. In today’s highly digitized and interconnected world, protecting the information of your customers, partners, suppliers, and employees is more important than ever.
Why should you have one?
Participating in a bug bounty program offers numerous advantages that go beyond traditional security measures. Here’s why your organization should consider launching one:
1. Enhanced Security: Bug bounty programs tap into the expertise of independent security researchers who can identify vulnerabilities across your products, applications, services, and infrastructure – often before malicious actors can exploit them. This proactive approach can significantly strengthen your overall security posture.
2. Cost-Effective: Paying bounties for discovered vulnerabilities is often less expensive than dealing with the aftermath of a security incident, which can include financial losses, legal consequences, and reputational damage.
3. Access to a Diverse Talent Pool: These programs attract a global community of researchers with varied skills and perspectives. This diversity often leads to the discovery of unique, hard-to-find vulnerabilities that internal teams might miss.
4. Compliance and Regulation: Many industries and regulatory bodies now require regular vulnerability assessments. A bug bounty program can help meet these requirements and demonstrate your organization’s commitment to security.
5. Continuous Testing: Unlike traditional security assessments that occur periodically, bug bounty programs offer continuous testing. This helps promptly identify and address new vulnerabilities.
6. Community Engagement: Engaging with the ethical hacking community not only improves your security but also enhances your reputation. By building positive relationships with researchers who are genuinely invested in improving your products and systems, you foster trust—not just with them, but also with your customers, partners, and other key stakeholders.
How to Get Started
Before launching a bug bounty program, there are a few key considerations – internal alignment, planning, and the right platform partner. Think of this as your starter kit to guide your direction.
1. Organization Buy-In
a. It’s crucial that business units are aligned and prepared. You’ll be working closely with them to fix reported bugs.
b. Budget – Your available investment will heavily influence the structure of your bug bounty program, particularly whether you start with a private or public model.
i. Private programs are invitation-only and typically involve a smaller, curated group of trusted researchers. This approach allows for more control, lower initial costs, and a chance to fine-tune your processes before scaling. If you’re offering bounties in a private program, consider how much you’re willing to pay per severity level. If you’re not offering monetary rewards, manage expectations—swag and recognition can only go so far.
ii. Public programs, on the other hand, are open to the entire community. While they can yield a higher volume of findings, they also require more resources to manage and triage reports. Public programs often come with higher bounty payouts and increased visibility, which can be both a benefit and a challenge depending on your readiness.
2. Scpoe
a. Determine which applications/products will be in scope by starting with something that has clear business value and impact. It’s wise to begin with a small scope and expand gradually.
b. Define the types of vulnerabilities you’re interested in and consider categories you’d prefer to exclude. Reviewing other program briefs can help you shape your own scope effectively.
3. Workflow
a. Decide how you’ll handle incoming reports. Will you automate ticket creation in your internal system, or manage it manually? Once a bug is fixed, how will you validate it—internally, through the platform, or via the researcher?
4. Choosing the right Platform
a. Selecting the right platform is crucial to your program’s success. Things to look for.
i. A partner you feel comfortable with and aligns to your goals.
ii. Offers competitive pricing.
iii. Support for building and scaling your program.
iv. Acts as trusted advisor, especially during the early stages.
The Dell Technologies Journey to Our Bug Bounty Program
Starting Private: Building the Foundation
Launching a bug bounty program requires resources and support from your organization. At Dell Technologies, we began with a private program, selecting a trusted group of ethical hackers to test a subset of our applications and products in a controlled environment.
This approach gave us:
• Flexibility in defining scope
• A manageable number of researchers to build trust
• Early insights into our security posture
• An ability to fine tune our processes
Our goal was to tap into a diverse pool of researchers with unique skill sets. Even with minimal investment, the value was clear – by focusing on impactful findings, we saw the ROI we were looking for and encouraged us to expand our scope.
Final Thoughts
Launching a bug bounty program is not just a security initiative; it’s a strategic investment in your organization’s resilience and reputation. From building internal alignment and defining scope to selecting the right platform and engaging with a global community of researchers, every step contributes to a stronger security posture. Our journey at Dell Technologies has shown the value of scaling bug bounty programs to advance security and foster trust. Running public programs allowed us to tap into global pool of talented researchers at various skill levels which helped us discover complex issues or previously undetected vulnerabilities. Our program has fostered a valuable collaboration with the researcher community, helping us secure our products and applications. As you consider your own path, remember that continuous improvement and collaboration are key. Embrace the process, fine-tune as you go, and most importantly, stay open to learning from the community that’s helping you protect what matters the most.