Find Android bugs, earn up to $30k
In a recent announcement, Google has unveiled a new bug bounty program for Android, inviting skilled individuals to put their expertise to the test and potentially earn substantial rewards. The program promises generous incentives, potentially reaching tens of thousands of dollars, for those who can uncover and report security vulnerabilities within the Android operating system.
We are excited to announce the new Mobile VRP! We are looking for bughunters to help us find and fix vulnerabilities in our mobile applications. https://t.co/HDs1hnGpbH
— Google VRP (Google Bug Hunters) (@GoogleVRP) May 22, 2023
Outlined in the program summary, the primary emphasis of this Mobile VRP (Vulnerability Reward Program) by Google lies on first-party Android apps. The objective is to identify and address vulnerabilities within these apps, ultimately ensuring the safety and security of users' data. By encouraging researchers to uncover potential flaws, Google aims to fortify the robustness of their Android ecosystem and maintain the privacy of their users.
How does it work, though?
The program encompasses Tier 1 applications, which include prominent offerings such as Google Play Services, AGSA, Google Chrome, Google Cloud, Gmail, and Chrome Remote Desktop. These applications are considered within the scope of the program, aiming to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
Furthermore, the program extends its coverage beyond Tier 1 apps to include applications developed by various entities. These include Google LLC, Developed with Google, Research at Google, Red Hot Labs, Google Samples, Fitbit LLC, Nest Labs Inc., Waymo LLC, and Waze. By encompassing apps from these developers, the program aims to cast a wider net in the pursuit of enhancing security across diverse software offerings associated with Google and its affiliated entities.
The reward structure for the bug bounty program commences at a minimum of $500, applicable to the discovery of vulnerabilities such as sensitive data theft or other security issues found within Tier 3 applications. This particular reward level is specifically relevant when the attacker is operating on the same network as the target.
The most substantial rewards are offered for remote arbitrary code execution, where successful findings can lead to prizes of $30,000, $25,000, and $20,000 for Tiers 1, 2, and 3, respectively. This incentivizes researchers to focus on identifying and reporting critical vulnerabilities within the program's specified tiers.
Moreover, the program's panel holds the authority to bestow discretionary bonuses of $1,000. These additional rewards can be granted for various reasons, such as exceptionally surprising vulnerabilities or exceptional write-ups that provide detailed insights and analysis of the discovered vulnerabilities. The discretionary bonuses serve to acknowledge outstanding contributions and exceptional efforts made by participants in the bug bounty program.
In addition to arbitrary code execution and sensitive data theft, the Mobile VRP program recognizes that other vulnerabilities may also have a security impact and will be duly considered. This highlights the program's commitment to thoroughly evaluating potential security risks and ensuring comprehensive coverage.
For further information on the program, including specific examples of non-qualifying discoveries and more detailed guidelines, interested individuals can refer to the official website.
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Thanks for the tip Martin.
It is for these kinds of posts that I follow GHacks.
What’s up with the generic comment, are you a bot?
2G?
Where on the planet is that still in use? I was forced to give up using my RAZRV3 years ago because 2G was phased out by AT&T.
Everywhere 3G has been turned off and you don’t have LTE coverage, and believe me there are many developed countries where this is the case and if it weren’t for 2G you wouldn’t even be able to make a phone call.
Maybe I missed it, but I don’t believe tha term “2G” is in the article. Perhaps you are referring to “AGM G2”??
@Martin
Your website has gone insane.
When I the post button I then saw my comment posted on a different article page. When I opened this article again, it is here.
@Tachy @Martin Brinkmann
” Your website has gone insane. ”
Same here. Has happened several times.
@Tachy,
@Martin P.,
For over two weeks now,
I’ve been seeing “Comments” posted by subscribers appearing in different, unrelated articles.
https://www.ghacks.net/windows-11-update-stuck-fixed-for-good/#comment-4572991
https://www.ghacks.net/windows-11-update-stuck-fixed-for-good/#comment-4572951
For the time being,
it would be better to specify the “article name and URL” at the beginning of the post.
@tachy a lot of non-phone devices with a sim in them rely on 2G, at least here in europe.
Usually things reporting usage or errors/alarms on something remote that does not get day to day inspection in person. They are out there in vast numbers doing important work. Reliable, good range. The low datarate is no problem at all in those cases.
3G is gone or on its last legs everywhere, but this stuff still has too much use to cancel.
Anyhow, interesting that they would put that in. I can see the point if you suspect a hostile 2G environment (amateur eavesdroppers with laptop, ranging up to professional grade MITM fake towers while “strangely” not getting the stronger crypto voip 4G because it is being jammed, and back down to something as old ‘stingray’ devices fallen into the wrong hands).
But does this also mean that they have handled and rolled out a fix for that nasty 4G ‘pwn by broadcast’ problem you reported earlier this year? I had 4G disabled due to that, on the off chance that some of the local criminals would buy some cheap chinese gear, download a working exploit and probe every phone in range all over town in the hope of getting into phones of the police.
>”While most may never be attacked in stingrays, it is still recommended to disable 2G cellular connections, especially since it does not have any downsides.”
The downside would be losing connectivity. I spend a lot of time way out in the countryside where there’s often no service or almost none. My network allows 2G, and I need it sometimes. I have an option on the phone to disable 2G, I may do that when I’m in the city and I have good 5G connectivity, but not out in the country.
I would imagine that the stingray exploits, like most of the bad things in this world, are probably things you will run into in the crowded big cities.
I stopped using it in a mobile (Wi-Fi line) environment, so I’m almost ignorant of the actual situation,
But the recent reality in Japan makes me realize that “the infrastructure of the web is nothing more than a papier-mâché fiction”.
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/17/google-chrome-to-enable-https-first-by-default-for-all-users/#comment-4572402
It is already beyond the scope of what an individual can do.
What we should be aware of is the reality that “governments and those in power want to control the world through the Web”, and efforts to counter (resist and prevent) such ambitions are necessary.
Why do you want people to disable the privacy features? Hmmmmm?
Now You: do you plan to keep the Ads privacy features enabled?
I’d like to tell you, but apparently if you make a post critical of Google, you get censored. * [Editor: removed, just try to bring your opinion across without attacking anyone]
@Martin
You website is still psychotic. Comments attach to random stories.
@Martin please do fix the comments, it’s completely insane commenting here! :[
@Martin
The comments are seriously messed up on gHacks now. These comments are mixed with the article at the below URL.
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/18/android-how-to-disable-2g-cellular-connections-to-improve-security/
And comments on other articles are from as far back as 2010.
What does this article has anything to do with all the comments on this article? LOL I think this Websuite is ran by ChatGPT. every article is messed up. Some older comments from 2015 shown up in recant articles, LOL
The picture captioned “Clearing the Android Auto’s cache might resolve the issue” is from Apple Carplay ;)
How about other things that matter:
Drop survival?
Screen toughness?
Degree of water and dust protection?