Bug Bounties: Crowdsourcing Security at Scale

Bug bounties have become an essential layer in cybersecurity. Instead of relying solely on internal audits or single-provider penetration testing, companies are increasingly turning to the crowd, tapping into thousands of independent security researchers to expose vulnerabilities before criminals do.

At its simplest, a bug bounty is a reward for finding flaws. “It’s crowdsourced security,” explains Dmytro Matviiv, CEO of HackenProof. “Projects work with us in order to find vulnerabilities before the exploit. We bring the community to the code.”

Yevheniia Broshevan, CEO of Hacken, says: “HackenProof is not just a standalone solution; it underpins the wider mission of Hacken. By building a trusted channel between researchers and projects, we strengthen the credibility of the entire cybersecurity ecosystem. Every verified bug report feeds into our broader goal of making Web3 safer and more resilient.”

How it works is a company registers on HackenProof, sets the scope of its program, whether smart contracts, web apps, mobile apps, or full protocols, and defines rewards by severity. More than 45,000 researchers on the platform then test the systems. HackenProof’s triage service validates findings, filters duplicates, and ensures reports are actionable. Payments are released only for verified vulnerabilities.

This approach contrasts with traditional audits. “If you do audits by private companies, they go step by step through all the code. But in a crowdsourced contest, experts look only where they know best. You get 50 or 100 people taking a look, more eyes, more attention,” Matviiv says.

Audits are limited

Other experts agree. Trevor Horwitz, co-founder of TrustNet and iTrust, argues the strength of bounties lies in diversity. “Audits are fine, but they’re limited. One team, one approach, one timeline. Bug bounties are always on. You get fresh eyes every week. Different people from different backgrounds, using their own methods. You’re not boxed into one way of thinking.”

Transparency and reputation are also central. Protocols such as NEAR and Sui have paid out millions in rewards, publishing results openly. “When projects spend on security publicly, it shows the community they are serious. It’s not a weakness, it’s a strength,” says Matviiv. This visibility is now tracked in industry trust scores, where active bug bounty programs count heavily.

Greg Bibeau, CEO of Terminal B, underlines the reputational benefit. “By plugging into this ecosystem, companies can tap into skilled researchers around the world without the overhead of building huge internal teams. Global giants like Google and Microsoft have long used them, but now finance, healthcare and mid-market companies are following suit.”

HackenProof has broadened its platform beyond bounties, offering national-scale programs for banks and governments, encryption for sensitive reports, and an audit marketplace where firms can request proposals from vetted providers. It has even launched Dual Defense, a form of on-chain security insurance where hackers see that bounty funds are staked in advance.

But the mechanics are only part of the story. Behind them lies a global researcher community. HackenProof’s Discord has more than 10,000 active participants, and its leaderboard tracks top performers and payouts. Some researchers make life-changing sums; others remain deliberately anonymous.

Rob Smith, Managing Director at Techzura, highlights the role of governance in such communities. “Bug bounties outperform traditional audits by leveraging diverse hacker perspectives over a one-off review, reducing blind spots, though they require clear rules to avoid chaos for SMEs dipping in.”

The economics are flexible. Organizations set both scope and price, ensuring control while broadening access to expertise. As Tim Erlin, security strategist at Wallarm, points out, “No bug bounty program is a free-for-all. The organization sets the scope and the price. Very simply, if you don’t find and fix vulnerabilities, attackers will.”

The future of bounties is likely to be shaped by AI, but not replaced by it. Matviiv stresses that human ingenuity remains indispensable: “It’s about using the crowd to strengthen security. More eyes, more expertise, faster results.”

Amit Weigman, a cybersecurity and AI expert at Check Point, agrees. “Think about it this way, audits are like hiring one locksmith to check all your doors and windows. Bug bounties open the challenge to thousands of locksmiths worldwide, each with different techniques. That’s where their power is derived.”

Bug bounties are no longer experimental. They are now part of mainstream cybersecurity. Bug bounties represent a rebalancing of incentives, paying not for assurances on paper but for vulnerabilities actually found. For industries facing relentless threats, the logic is hard to ignore.

To start bug hunting on HackenProof, you only need to create an account, explore the active programs, and select one that matches your expertise. Each program outlines its scope, rules, and rewards, giving you clear guidelines for testing. From there, you dive into the code or application, identify vulnerabilities, and submit your findings. Every valid report not only helps projects strengthen their security but also earns you rewards for your contribution.

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