Security research remains as vital a component of a modern computing experience. And unlike many other companies, Microsoft is taking a much more proactive approach.
In fact, so much so that the software titan paid out almost $14 million in bug bounties last year alone!
Well, $13.7 million, if we are being honest.
Redmond detailed this in a post on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog, revealing that this amount was awarded to 327 security researchers through 15 bounty programs. The biggest reward totaled $200,000 from a remarkable 1,266 eligible vulnerability reports.
By comparison, the software titan paid out just $4.4 million over the same period last year, so you can get an idea of just how serious the company is in this space.
The security researchers that help Microsoft patch its software spend substantial amounts of time discovering and reporting security bugs, before hackers and cybercriminals can use these vulnerabilities for their nefarious purposes.
And speaking of vulnerabilities, the Redmond based company continues to address new cybersecurity threats to make it easier for researchers to share their findings.
In addition to all that is on offer, Microsoft is adding new bounty programs and offering two new research grants this year. Which comes just at the right time, with more and more people force to work from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The software giant is seeing increased security researcher engagement and higher report volume now than in previous years.
Makes total sense.
