One of the best ways for companies to find flaws in its software is to pay people to break into it. Microsoft knows this all too well and has set up bug bounty awards for finding and reporting critical bugs.

The New Bug Bounties for Microsoft Teams

Microsoft isn't holding back with its bounties, offering up to $30,000 to anyone who finds and reports a bug. Microsoft classes each bug under different award schemes, which dictate how much you earn for finding it.

For example, if you find a bug that could severely harm customer's privacy and security, you'll net yourself the Scenario-Based Bounty Award. This is the one to aim for, as successful bounty hunters will earn themselves between $6,000 and $30,000 for spotting one.

If you end up finding an exploit that doesn't quite fit the terms for a Scenario-Based Bounty Award, Microsoft will still grant you a General Bounty Award. They'll net you between $500 and $15,000 for finding one, but they should be easier to spot than the scenario-based ones.

If you think you've got what it takes to earn a lot of money by breaking things, head over to the Microsoft Security Resource Center to check out all the details and instructions on how to submit your trophy bugs.

Paying People to Break Into Your System

This isn't the first time that Microsoft has offered big sums for finding an exploit in its system. Previously, Microsoft launched an Xbox bounty program for finding bugs in its popular gaming network.

As such, it seems that the Redmond tech giant is hedging its bets on bug bounties as an effective way to keep its users safe. It makes sense on paper; people get paid a hefty sum for spotting critical bugs, and the reward payouts are far less than what the company would need to shell out if a hacker exploited its systems.

Spot the Bugs, Win a Prize

Microsoft has seemingly developed an affinity for bug bounties in recent years. If you're an avid Microsoft Teams user and you enjoy prodding at security systems, why not see if you can catch a bug and net yourself a hefty reward?

It's easy to imagine all hackers are shady criminal types, but ethical hacking has become a legitimate career thanks to bug bounties like Microsoft's. Despite often being enemies of one another, companies and hackers can both benefit if they decide to collaborate instead.

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