Reward for Windows Flaws

By Laurie Ashton

Find a new flaw in Microsoft Windows? You could receive a reward of US$20,000, but not from Microsoft.

Digital Armaments, a security company which provides no phone number or address on its website, is offering the reward as a “Hacker’s Challenge”.

To earn the reward, the submitter must document the vulnerability.

While soliciting for software flaws is not illegal, it does raise some questions about the reason behind the reward, never mind irritating the software companies in question.

A Switzerland-based company, WabiSabiLabi, took this a step further last year by creating a site for its researchers to auction off the flaws they found. Company officials defended this practice by pointing out that researchers could instead sell this information on the black market.

Microsoft, on the other hand, would prefer that researchers report the vulnerabilities they find to the software companies in question, but most companies will not pay for such information.

Digital Armaments could not be reached for comment.