I recently wrote about a former Google by the name of Sanmay Ved who hit the jackpot earlier in the month by purchasing one of the most recognisable domain names on the Internet — Google.com — from Google Domains, not for billions or millions or even hundreds of dollars, but for just $12. In the end, Mr. Ved’s ownership of www.google.com was short lived as Google was quickly retook control of the domain.
But rather than let Mr. Ved fade into the annals of accidental celebrities, Google’s security team decided to reward him an undisclosed amount for discovering the bug that let him take control of the search engine’s domain. But rather than let his short lived fame get to his head, Ved decided to donate his “bug bounty” to an Indian educational institution. In an attempt to out do each other in terms of nobility, Google then doubled the amount being donated to the educational institution.
The rewards for Google’s Vulnerability Reward Program (1 of the 5 reward programs)
While the amount being rewarded was undisclosed, according to Google’s reward program it could be as high as $20,000. Google themselves have not commented on the story, however they do cherish a close relationship with the security research community, honouring all the cutting-edge external contributions that help us keep their users safe, by maintaining a Vulnerability Reward Program for Google-owned web properties, running continuously since November 2010.
If you think you’ve discovered a critical bug in Google’s systems you can head over to Google’s security reward program to see how you can help report it and maybe get yourself up in their Hall of Fame!
