Last week on August 5 at the Black Hat USA 2019 conference, Microsoft has announced bounty award of $300,000 for those security experts and hackers who can find out the vulnerabilities within the Microsoft own Azure Cloud Computing Platform.
This security challenge is for all those security researchers and experts who have the ability to go through the security-based scenario challenges. Microsoft has set up a separate Azure Security Lab which includes the dedicated cloud hosts, particularly for the security researchers to perform all of their attacks by not only finding out vulnerabilities in the Azure system but to also exploit them.
What is Black Hat?
Black Hat Briefings is a worldwide event aiming for providing the best of technology and cybersecurity information from the last 20 years. Black Hat Conference is the most popular and modern with respect to the fields of research, information security, technology and much more. This event is scheduled every year with a lot of briefing and training events within this big event.
Every year, a lot of professionals, security researchers, company owners, leaders, professors, and even some brilliant students attend this conference. This conference covers many things like training, briefings, speeches, live performances, news and much more related to security and other technology fields. Black Hat event is all about exposing vulnerabilities, exploiting vulnerabilities, new researches, top talent, security challenges and much more. This biggest event of information security and technology is not only limited for the security researchers or experts but it is almost recommended for every individual to attend who is security expert, leader, company owner, journalist, researchers and even 18+ students with a passion for information security and technology.
Currently, Black Hat USA 2019 event is going on started earlier this month at Las Vegas. You can check out more about the events, schedules, news and much more at the official website of Black Hat.
Why Microsoft is offering $300K to hackers?
As we all know that Microsoft is such a popular and the biggest organization in the world. Organizations like Microsoft offers modern and perfect services to its customers but these companies keep improving their services on a daily basis. Security is such an important matter which can make or break the trust of the customers. As developers and professionals using advanced techniques to improve their services in this modern world so the same thing is happening with the hackers as well. Hackers are getting advanced and more aggressive than before, they using some modern techniques and hacking algorithms to go through the secured systems.
Microsoft has its own Cloud Computing Platform known as ‘Azure’. Azure is offering its services in the areas of building, testing, deployment, applications management and much more. This Azure is no doubt one of the core services that Microsoft is providing at the moment so to make sure that this platform stays hack-proof, the company offers hackers to test their systems and servers with their techniques and attacks. For this purpose, Microsoft has set up an Azure Security Lab which has dedicated cloud servers with a proper testing and researching environment. This lab has been made to let hackers try their hacking techniques and aggressive attacks to exploit system within the presence of the Azure security experts.
There are security scenario-based challenges which have been set for the hackers to give their best to hack and exploit the servers against those security challenges. Microsoft has its Azure Bounty Program which consists of all these security challenges and scenarios for hackers to exploit them to get their reward from this bounty program. Although only azure security experts and researchers have access to this Azure Security Lab, users like hackers and experts can also apply to get access for this program as the company is inviting all of the individuals.
So this is such a great way by the great company to keep their cloud computing platform save from the modern threats and attacks. These type of approaches not only secures the system but also help companies own security experts in staying updated and connected with other talented security experts.
At the start of this Black Hat USA 2019 conference, Microsoft officials have stated that within last 12 months company has paid $4.4 million from Azure Bounty Program to those who were successful in exploiting their systems.