[ 01 ] — Product — Bug Bounty
Pay for proof, not for hours.
Invite thousands of skilled researchers to attack your scope continuously. You only pay when a valid, unique vulnerability is reported.
What is a bug bounty program?
A bug bounty program invites independent security researchers to find vulnerabilities in your systems and rewards them for each valid, unique report. It runs continuously, uses many testers with different skills, and you pay for results rather than time.
$0
Paid for invalid reports
72h
Typical time to first finding
10×
More testers than a traditional pentest
[ 02 ] — Capabilities
Private or public
Start invite-only with a curated cohort, open up when you are ready.
Reward guidance
Bounty tables calibrated to your industry and asset criticality.
Managed triage
Reports are reproduced and validated before they reach you.
Payments handled
Global payouts, tax forms and compliance managed for you.
Researcher matching
Signal-based invitations surface the right talent for your stack.
Safe harbor
Standardised legal protections that make good-faith testing possible.
[ 03 ] — How it works
STEP_01
Scope
Choose assets and exclusions.
STEP_02
Reward
Set a bounty table.
STEP_03
Launch
Invite researchers.
STEP_04
Fix
Receive validated reports.
[ 03 ] — Compare
Bug bounty vs pentest vs VDP
| Bug bounty | Pentest (PTaaS) | VDP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Continuous | Time-boxed | Continuous, passive |
| Testers | Many invited researchers | A small vetted team | Anyone who finds an issue |
| You pay for | Valid, unique findings | The engagement | Platform and triage |
| Best for | Finding what others miss | Audit evidence and depth | A safe, compliant reporting channel |
| Methodology | Researcher-led, creative | OWASP, PTES, NIST | Not applicable |
“Within a week the program surfaced an access-control flaw three audits had missed.”
CISO, Large Fintech
[ 04 ] — Questions people ask
How is this different from a pentest?+
A pentest is time-boxed with a few testers; a bounty is continuous with many, and you pay per valid result.
Can we cap spend?+
Yes. Set a program budget and we pause rewards automatically when you reach it.
How much does a bug bounty program cost?+
Cost has two parts: a platform fee and the rewards you pay researchers. Rewards scale with severity, and you set the budget and reward table. Talk to us for a quote based on your scope.
Should I start with a private or public bug bounty?+
Most organisations start private, with a small invited group, then open the program publicly once triage and fixing run smoothly.
Bug bounty vs penetration testing — which do I need?+
A pentest gives a time-boxed, methodology-driven assessment often needed for compliance. A bug bounty gives continuous coverage from many testers. Mature teams use both.
Is a bug bounty safe for production systems?+
Yes, when scope and rules are clear. Policies define what researchers may test, forbid destructive actions and include safe harbor for good-faith research.
Is this an AI-powered bug bounty?+
It combines both. AutoVAPT AI tests autonomously for known vulnerability classes, so researchers' rewards go to the deeper bugs only humans find. People decide every reward.
[ ∞ ] — Next step