Google has launched a bug bounty contest through Project Zero. The contest allows participants to report critical vulnerabilities in the Android platform before malicious users discover them.
Natalie Silvanovich, a researcher at Project Zero, revealed the contest on Tuesday in a blog post on the company’s website. Silvanovich said that despite the constant stream of bug discoveries coming from Google’s security team, “there are many unique, high-quality security flaws discovered through the hacking contest.”
So the company decided to run its own contest to search for serious security flaws in the Android platform.
Google is asking researchers interested in competing in the Project Zero competition to focus on vulnerabilities, or bug chains, that could allow attackers to execute remote code on multiple Android devices. However, there's a catch — Google asks that you start with just the device's phone number and email address.
The contest accepts exploits that successfully target any version of Android Nougat on Nexus 5X and 6P devices.
The first prize will be worth $200,000, while the second prize is worth $100,000. The third valid entry will win $50,000.
Of course, after the contest ends, the vulnerabilities, exploits, and the names of the winners will be published.
