Importance of Bug Bounties in Product Development


 Importance of Bug Bounties in Product Development

The significance of a community in the development and subsequent launch or testing of a software product is paramount. The IT community works day and night to develop a high-quality software product. 

It goes through various stages: product development, software testing, the launch of the Beta version, and the official launch for end users.

Software personnel work round the clock to ensure that a product is free of any vulnerability and technical flaw.

Bug bounties have emerged as an imperative in-house security check system to enhance the quality of their overall security apparatus. Some companies run bug bounty programs where external validators are rewarded for finding bugs in its server - and it’s become very popular recently. For example, a VPN company ExpressVPN launched its exclusive ExpressVPN’s Bug Bounty program for developers and IT enthusiasts, that will reward the first person who finds a flaw in the server. You can also find vpn for uk.

The Need of Launching Bug Bounty Programs

  • These initiatives help in-house developers and the product community to proactively take part in security analyses and immediately report any flaws within the system once they detect the same. 
  • Getting engaged in a bug bounty-type program means you are legally taking part in such an initiative with the company’s approval. If you can trace a bug, you will get money for it.  
  • The product development team might overlook bugs during the software development and testing phases. These innovative programs help in detecting bugs and getting the same rectified.  
  • The purpose of such an initiative is not to find bugs, but to assure everyone that the company does its best to make high-quality software tools and products as per the industry standards. 

Now that you have understood the significance of bug bounty, let’s understand it from a perspective.

The Bug Bounty Programs: A Perspective

Over the last few years, several IT giants have launched their respective bounty programs to detect bugs in their software products. 

Companies like Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, and VPN among others paid over $1-million to various software enthusiasts and security personnel who got success in detecting software bugs in the system. 

In usual cases, ethical hackers and IT security personnel participate in such programs. Those who successfully prove the presence of any bug within the products win a handsome reward in the form of a fat paycheck. 

It is always advisable to get your community involved in such a project rather than hiring cyber security experts. 

The community stays with you from the product development stage to the final rollout of the product. 

Each community member understands the purpose of launching the product and its quality. Companies should get their community more involved in the bug bounty programs.

Bug hunters also get an opportunity to earn handsome rewards by detecting vulnerabilities in the software products. 

In Conclusion

Today, most things are digital. Every online services provider must offer high-quality products and solutions to end-users. There can’t be any bugs or malware in it. 

The reputation of a company is at stake when it launches a new online product or service. That is why companies are now also investing a lot of money in the product testing stage to ensure the product is 100% safe and secure.