Microsoft Expands Bug Bounty Program, Raises Maximum Reward From $50k to $100k

Microsoft has taken advantage of the ongoing Black Hat conference in Las Vegas to announce that it has increased the maximum payout in its bug bounty program from $50,000 to $100,000 - a sign that it's committed to making sure its software is as secure as possible.

This move of course comes hot on the heels of the release of Windows 10, an OS that Microsoft intends to have a very long life. Windows 10 is also designed to act as a "service", so it needs to have bulletproof security. Thus, it comes almost as no surprise at all that the company is ramping up its efforts to ensure that the OS is protected from malicious parties.

Windows 10 has spurred Microsoft to take security more seriously than ever

If you're looking to make some quick bank, you're not going to be successful unless you discover a truly crippling bug, but any and all significant bugs will be rewarded accordingly.

If Microsoft Account or Azure Active Directory is your forte, you'll be keen to note that Microsoft is currently offering double the bounty for authentication bugs discovered there, leading up until October 5. In the event of a great vulnerability being discovered, that'll net a cool $30,000.

These announcements also come at the same time that Windows 10 receives its first significant patch rollout, so while the OS might leave privacy advocates a bit enraged, at least the company is proving to us all that it's taking security more seriously than ever.