“Bug Bounty”
Sony has introduced a brand new reward system that will reward players for finding “critical” bugs in the PS4 hardware. Called the “Bug Bounty,” this new program was introduced in order to help Sony strengthen the security of its console. This program has existed in a certain capacity for some time beforehand. However, these rewards were only offered to private tech companies. The sum of money being handed out is not pocket change either, the base reward starts at $50,000.
Sony hopes that bringing this project public will expand its horizon in terms of “talent” when it comes to finding exploits. After all, it is not like these private companies that Sony was previously working with pose any threat to taking down their online services or obtaining the credit card info of its customers.
Most people are able to recall the massive security breach that took place in 2011. This led to the total collapse of PSN and the personal information of customers being leaked online. To call it a disaster would be an understatement. PSN was totally down for more than three weeks and 77 million people had very intimate details of their lives compromised. It was not a very good look for the company and many considered it a deathblow to the PS3.
It should go without saying that Sony never wants something like that to ever happen again. Especially during the build-up to the release of the PS5. If you are interested in this new program then you can find out more information on their official website. There will of course be forms to fill out and sign. If you are good at getting around security programs or are knowledgable about tech then this seems like a golden opportunity to get a good payday.
Good luck.