Apple Launches Security Research Site and Updates Bounty Program

Apple has just launched the Apple Security Research site. This is a new way through which people can learn about and monitor security issues. Users can also report security issues to Apple engineers via the Apple Security Bounty program.

Apple has already uploaded two posts on the website. The first post on the site discusses XNU memory safety. XNU is the Apple-developed kernel that powers iOS, iPadOS and MacOS.

Apple Launches Security Research Site and Updates Bounty Program

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The second post is about the progress made in the bounty program since it launched in 2016 and opened up to all researchers in 2019. Apple said it has awarded about $20 million in payments to security researchers, with an average payout of about $40,000 in the product category. Apple has also given 20 separate rewards of over $100,000 for high-impact issues.

“We’ve grown our team and worked hard to be able to complete an initial evaluation of nearly every report we receive within two weeks, and most within six days,” Apple wrote.

The site also shows detailed bounty information and categories. Users will now have a clearer idea of what to look for and what kind of reward they could receive. Some rewards could net you $5,000, while one or two could be worth over $1 million. If your report receives a reward, Apple will notify you by email as well as in a new tracker on the site.

From now until Nov. 30, Apple is accepting applications for the 2023 Apple Security Research Device Program. All the selected users will get an iPhone to find bugs in iOS more easily.

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