PlayStation posts bug bounty to track down PS4 and PSN security issues

PlayStation is looking to the security research community to help it weed out security flaws in PlayStation Network and PlayStation 4 products, and is willing to pay rewards starting at anywhere from $100 to $50,000 for leads based on platform and severity.

The console maker has teamed up with HackerOne to post bug bounties for its current hardware lineup and services, following in the footsteps of other game companies like Riot Games, Valve, and Nintendo that have turned to the platform to track down potential security risks. 

PlayStation isn’t new to the bug bounty world, but its previous dealings had been a private program with a select pool of researchers while this latest effort opens the program up to the wider security research community. 

“At PlayStation, we are committed to providing gamers all over the world with great experiences. I’m happy to announce today that we have started a public PlayStation Bug Bounty program because the security of our products is a fundamental part of creating amazing experiences for our community,” writes Geoff Norton, SIE’s senior director of software engineering. “We believe that through working with the security research community we can deliver a safer place to play.”

There’s more on exactly what kind of vulnerabilities PlayStation is looking for information about over on the HackerOne page, but in short the company is currently looking for reports covering the PlayStation 4, including its operating system and accessories, as well as PlayStation Network via a handful of listed domains. 

The actual amount awarded for following PlayStation’s disclosure policy and reporting issues with any of the above depends on the severity of the vulnerability itself, but starting points for each range from $100 to $3,000 for PSN flaws and from $500 to $50,000 for PlayStation 4 issues.