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Google Fixes 10 Bugs In Chrome, Pays $4000 Bounty

Posted by samzenpus on from the $400-flaw dept.

Trailrunner7 writes "It seems Google's bug bounty program is paying some nice dividends, for both sides. Less than two weeks after releasing version 6.0 of its Chrome browser, Google has pushed out another Chrome release, which includes fixes for 10 security bugs, seven of which are rated either critical or high. Google Chrome 6.0.472.59 comes out just 12 days after the last Chrome release, which fixed 14 security bugs. As part of its bug bounty program, Google paid out $4,000 in rewards to researchers who disclosed security flaws in the browser. Most of the security flaws fixed in the new release are in the Windows version of Chrome, but the most serious bug is only in Chrome for Mac."

3 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. i'm glad this is happening by buddyglass · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What I'd like to see next: Google pays bounty for bugs in other browsers (which it then forwards to those companies for repair).

    This would be hilarious. You might think it'd be bad business (why should Google pay for bug finds that will benefit its competition?), but I think it'd be PR gold. Not to mention it would have the side effect of improving all-around security. (So Google could cast the new bounty as an altruistic gesture).

  2. Re:Thankless job indeed... by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Personally, for FREE software, I'd be happy just to get the damned bug acknowledged and fixed in a jiffy, ...

    By way of agreeing with you, I know that there are millions of people paying for software who pretty much never expect bugs to be fixed in a jiffy, and in fact have become completely complacent in accepting that many known security flaws have no plan for being fixed at all.

    Or in other words:

    Bounty paid by Google: $400.00
    Bounty paid by Apple and Microsoft: $0.00 (i.e. it isn't even an option)

    --
    Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
  3. Re:why are the bounties so low? by DragonWriter · · Score: 3, Interesting

    They certainly should view it as a security war, security has been the primary selling point for chrome from the beginning.

    The primary selling point for Chrome, at the beginning, was JavaScript speed, which is why most of the promotional effort focussed on the V8 engine and its speed.

    If they aren't the best in this department, what would make anyone want to use chrome vs any of the other browsers that are superior in so many other ways?

    I don't think Google is all that concerned over whether or not Chrome is the leading browser. They don't sell Chrome.

    They do care if common browsers behave in ways which make web content and services using open standards attractive to users, because Google's core business is indexing that kind of content, analyzing it, and selling advertising that leverages services built on top of services using the indexes built from that content.

    Chrome is largely a tool to get other browser manufacturers to adopt features that make it attractive for content developers to use formats and protocols that are conducive to Google's business.