Facebook hands out White Hat debit cards to hackers
A few companies pay money to bug hunters. But Facebook is giving out something more unique than just a check. Some security researchers are getting a customized "White Hat Bug Bounty Program" Visa debit card.
The researchers, who can make thousands of dollars for reporting just one security hole on the social-networking site, can use the card to make purchases, just like a credit card, or create a PIN and take money out of an ATM. As the researchers find more bugs, Facebook can add more money to the account. Facebook wanted to do something special for the people who are helping the company shore up its software and keep hackers and malware out.
"Researchers who find bugs and security improvements are rare, and we value them and have to find ways to reward them," Ryan McGeehan, manager of Facebook's security response team, told CNET in a recent interview. "Having this exclusive black card is another way to recognize them. They can show up at a conference and show this card and say 'I did special work for Facebook.'"
