Balancing Secrecy and Transparency in Bug Bounty Programs.

Bug bounty programs (BBPs) allow ethical hackers to identify software vulnerabilities, helping vendors fix flaws before they’re exploited—but vendors often control disclosure, creating a lack of transparency. This secrecy can delay patches, obscure software quality, and leave users uninformed about...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Communications of the ACM Vol. 68; no. 8; pp. 20 - 24
Autores principales: Telang, Rahul, Hydari, Muhammad Zia
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Association for Computing Machinery Aug2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Bug bounty programs (BBPs) allow ethical hackers to identify software vulnerabilities, helping vendors fix flaws before they’re exploited—but vendors often control disclosure, creating a lack of transparency. This secrecy can delay patches, obscure software quality, and leave users uninformed about security risks. While BBPs offer clear benefits, such as reducing uncoordinated disclosures and incentivizing ethical behavior, they also reinforce market asymmetries. The article argues for mandatory disclosure standards and stronger government oversight to balance transparency with vendor incentives, ultimately strengthening cybersecurity and user trust.