Hardest way to make a million dollars? Crack open the security on an iPhone.
Apple is now offering up to $1 million to hackers if they can find vulnerabilities in iPhones and Macs. This follows news that Apple plans to give security researchers and “rock star hackers” special iPhones that open parts of the usually locked-down devices; it’s part of the community’s bug bounty program where non-Apple techies attempt to find vulnerabilities in the company’s software.
As Forbes notes, to get that million bucks, researchers will need to find a hack of the kernel (the core of iOS) with zero clicks required by the iPhone owner; meanwhile, a half million dollar bounty goes to anyone who can find a “network attack requiring no user interaction.”
According to Apple’s head of security engineering Ivan Krstić, the bounty program has helped catch 50 bugs since the program launched in 2016. The news also arrives at a time when there’s been an increase in security flaws discovered in Apple products, including one recent macOS issue that allowed users to bypass security prompts.
Editor’s Note: RealClearLife, a news and lifestyle publisher, is now a part of InsideHook. Together, we’ll be covering current events, pop culture, sports, travel, health and the world. Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
