As first promised back in August, Apple’s bug bounty program is now open to all.

It was previously an invitation-only initiative, which attracted criticism as it incentivized non-invitees to sell vulnerability details to companies and governments who would exploit them to gain unauthorized access to Apple devices…

Apple had previously increased the maximum payouts after complaints about low rewards making it more likely that even invitees would be tempted to sell security vulnerabilities on the black market for much higher sums.

An Apple Security Bounty microsite has all the details, including eligibility.

Apple has published a rate-card of maximum payouts, which range from $100k to $1M – though the 50% beta bonus means that the maximum payout is $1.5M. Apple will also pay the same amount again to a charity.

  • Be the first party to report the issue to Apple Product Security.
  • Provide a clear report, which includes a working exploit (detailed below).
  • Not disclose the issue publicly before Apple releases the security advisory for the report. (Generally, the advisory is released along with the associated update to resolve the issue).

Issues that are unknown to Apple and are unique to designated developer betas and public betas, including regressions, can result in a 50% bonus payment. Qualifying issues include:

  • Security issues introduced in certain designated developer beta or public beta releases, as noted on this page when available. Not all developer or public betas are eligible for this additional bonus.
  • Regressions of previously resolved issues, including those with published advisories, that have been reintroduced in a developer beta or public beta release, as noted on this page when available.

To receive the maximum payout from Apple’s bug bounty program, you’ll need to include a working exploit, with a lower sum offered otherwise.

A separate webpage with sample payouts goes into more detail.

Apple yesterday published its 2019 Platform Security guide which detailed the security measures the company applies to its devices and services.

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