Term:

Amazon Bounty Program

Definition:

Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world and has been revolutionizing the way people shop online. The company has built a strong reputation for its customer-centric approach, its vast selection of products, and its innovative technologies. However, like any other online marketplace, Amazon is not immune to fraud, hacking attempts, and other security threats. To mitigate such risks, Amazon has launched several programs, including the Amazon Bounty Program, which offers rewards to ethical hackers who help identify vulnerabilities and improve security.

The Amazon Bounty Program is a bug bounty program launched by Amazon to encourage security researchers, hackers, and other technical experts to report security vulnerabilities, bugs, and flaws in Amazon’s web services, apps, and websites. The program is open to all participants who can submit security reports on Amazon’s website, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and other Amazon services. The program is designed to provide incentives to security researchers who identify security vulnerabilities and work with Amazon to improve security, ensuring the safety and security of Amazon’s customers.

The Amazon Bounty Program is not a new concept; several companies and organizations have launched similar programs in recent years. However, the Amazon Bounty Program is unique in many ways. First, Amazon offers a significantly higher reward than most other programs. Amazon pays up to $30,000 for critical vulnerabilities, making it one of the most lucrative programs for security researchers. Second, the program is open to a wide range of vulnerabilities, including cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, remote code execution, and other types of vulnerabilities that can affect the security of Amazon’s systems. Finally, Amazon offers a unique “bounty bonus” for researchers who submit quality reports that help Amazon improve its security posture.

The Amazon Bounty Program was launched in 2011 as a private program, which means that it was not publicly advertised. The program was open only to a select group of security researchers who had signed up for the program. However, in 2015, Amazon decided to make the program public, allowing any security researcher to participate. Since then, the program has gained significant traction, with several security researchers and hackers participating in the program and receiving rewards for their findings.

The Amazon Bounty Program has evolved over the years, with Amazon adding new features and incentives to encourage more researchers to participate. For example, in 2016, Amazon launched a “treasure hunt” program, which offered rewards for finding and reporting specific vulnerabilities. In 2018, Amazon added a “bounty bonus” to the program, which rewards researchers who submit high-quality reports that help Amazon improve its security posture.

To participate in the Amazon Bounty Program, security researchers must register on the Amazon website and sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Once registered, they can begin testing Amazon’s web services, websites, and apps for security vulnerabilities. If they find a vulnerability, they must report it to Amazon’s security team, providing a detailed report that includes steps to reproduce the vulnerability and a proof of concept (PoC). Amazon’s security team will then review the report and, if the vulnerability is confirmed, reward the researcher with a bounty.

The reward amount for the Amazon Bounty Program varies depending on the severity of the vulnerability. Amazon classifies vulnerabilities into four categories: critical, high, medium, and low. Critical vulnerabilities, such as those that allow remote code execution, can earn the researcher up to $30,000. High-severity vulnerabilities, such as those that allow privilege escalation, can earn up to $15,000. Medium-severity vulnerabilities, such as those that allow information disclosure, can earn up to $5,000. Low-severity vulnerabilities, such as those that allow cross-site scripting (XSS), can earn up to $1,000.

The Amazon Bounty Program is a fixed fee program Amazon offers that pays a fixed fee, or “bounty” when a person you referred signs up for an Amazon service such including Prime, Amazon Music Unlimited, Prime Video, Audible, Kids+, Amazon Business, Kindle Unlimited, Prime Video Channels, Amazon Wedding List, Prime Student, Prime Wardrobe, and Amazon Baby Wishlist. If any of those services would appeal to your web audience, you can earn bounties.

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