Twitter to pay users $140 for finding security flaws

Twitter

Twitter has offered individuals who find possible security flaws in its platform a $140 (100) reward.

However, that amount is not set in stone, according to the company.

The social network said in a blog post: "Reward amounts may vary depending upon the severity of the vulnerability reported. Twitter will determine in its discretion whether a reward should be granted and the amount of the reward.

"This is not a contest or competition. Rewards may be provided on an ongoing basis so long as this program is active."

Anyone who reports a flaw will need to prove they are the first to find it and must not disclose it to any other parties, including the media.

Any flaws must also fit alongside Twitter's vulnerability guidelines that include cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), remote code execution (RCE), in addition to allowing unauthorised access to protected tweets and direct messages.

If users discovered a vulnerability before 3 September at 10.30AM PST (17.30 GMT) they would not be eligible for the reward unless they reported it previously.

Additionally, anyone based in countries that has security sanctions against it - including individuals in North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Syria - will be exempt from the bounty.

Twitter has been subject to a lot of controversy recently regarding the removal of pictures of recently deceased people.

The social network announced last month it would only remove pictures and accounts of people who had died if relatives provided in depth information about the user and their account.

A number of tech companies offer users rewards for discovering bugs including Microsoft and Yahoo.

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.