02 November 2010 | Author: N. Hamilton Media copywriter

Google to bankroll flaw-finding hackers

Google will financially reward flaw-finding hackers who are able to identify potential security issues with the search giant's web applications such as Google, YouTube, Blogger, Orkut and more, The New York Time's technology blog reports.

After offering cash to helpful hackers able to find security faults or 'vulnerabilities' on the company's Chrome browser resulted in the search seraph rewarding 50 security researchers, the search heavyweight has now extended the rewards program to cover all of its web applications.

Offering to shell out between $500 to $3133 depending on the severity of a newly identified vulnerability, the search giant has also said that it will credit fault-finders and "superstar performers" in a designated "We Thank You" web page.

In a blog post, Google explained that the move, though 'experimental', may help to better protect web users. "As well as enabling us to thank regular contributors in a new way," Google posted, "we hope our new program will attract new researchers and the types of reports that help make our users safer."

And the move, though controversial, could see Google gain credit with privacy conscious web users and social networkers, who have recently been urged to protect against ID fraud.

Especially as Facebook, a rival for mobile and display advertising revenues, had been blasted by whistle-blowers who say that the social network's information sharing foibles paint a grim privacy picture, despite the Big Blue F's promise to help users get personal with data protection.

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