If Apple surprises us more with each passing day. The latest news we know of the company is that they have decided to launch a new rewards program for those who investigate security holes in the different devices and services of the company. Normally these programs are internal and Apple itself is contacting specialists trained for it but, taking into account that there are millions of users who By not becoming experts, they can find security problems, Apple wants to reward them in some way if they are able to help them.
This new program is the result of what Apple itself has made clear from the Black Hat Security Conference in which it has been remembered, actively and passively, that in these times security must be something of the utmost importance in technology companies, even more so for Apple with the San Bernardino iPhone case.
This program will begin in September and, as bad news, is that not everyone who proposes it will be able to access it. In order to be part of this program, you must have an invitation from Apple itself, otherwise it would be a somewhat difficult project to control and manage. Therefore, only a small group of security researchers will have access to such a program. Regarding the contributions of money that these researchers would earn, Apple has divided them in order of importance and thus we would have to:
- Up to $ 200.000 - Secure Boot Firmware Component Security.
- Up to $ 100.000: Security in the extraction of confidential information protected in Secure Enclave.
- Up to $ 50.000: security in executing arbitrary code with kernel privileges.
- Up to $ 50.000: Unauthorized access to iCloud account data on Apple servers.
- Up to $ 25.000: Access to protected processes or user data protected by sendbox from outside.
However, Apple doesn't shut itself down to other vulnerabilities those researchers might find, which would also be rewarded in some way. Finally, we inform you that Apple has informed that if the money earned by the researcher goes to charity, the amount to be received would be double. Without a doubt, it is a gesture that Apple has towards the most disadvantaged sectors, although it would leave the person who is investigating without part of the cake.
