Company
Date Published
Author
Greg Ose
Word count
2388
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

GitHub's Bug Bounty Program, marking its third anniversary, has been finely tuned to efficiently manage security vulnerability submissions, ensuring rapid resolution and remuneration for valid issues. The program, run by the Application Security team, has evolved to streamline processes, incorporate consistent communication, and utilize a rotating "First Responder" system for handling daily triage of incoming submissions, which have significantly increased since its inception in 2014. This structured approach reduces mental duplication of work and ensures that researchers receive timely feedback and compensation, categorized by risk levels from critical to low, which also dictate the payout amounts. The program also offers additional perks such as GitHub repository access and badges for frequent contributors. Transparency is maintained through a dedicated GitHub Pages site that shares updates and highlights researcher contributions. Automation has been integrated via the HackerOne API to streamline administrative tasks, allowing the team to focus on critical security tasks. As the program continues to expand and adapt, GitHub remains open to feedback and is seeking to grow its Application Security team.