Bugcrowd

HackerOne Ends Anonymous Era for Bug Bounty Hunters with Mandatory ID Verification

HackerOne has introduced compulsory identity verification for all researchers submitting reports to paid bug bounty programs, effective August 1. The policy requires users to complete KYC checks through Estonian firm Veriff by uploading government-issued ID and performing a live selfie, with annual renewals. Vulnerability Disclosure Programs remain open to anonymous participants, but any researcher seeking monetary rewards must now reveal their identity. The move follows similar steps by Bugcrowd and Intigriti and is driven by anti-money laundering and cross-border payment regulations. Researchers in high-surveillance regions and newcomers face new barriers, while the platform argues the change improves report quality and enterprise trust. H1 Clear adds an extra criminal background check layer for elite participants.

Rent, Don't Build: Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Management, and Bug Bounty as a Service

The fifth installment in the Vulnerability Management for Beginners series explores three outsourcing models that allow organizations to avoid building their own infrastructure for vulnerability management. Pentest as a Service, VM as a Service, and bug bounty programs each offer distinct advantages in speed, coverage, and cost while shifting operational burdens to specialized providers. The article details how automated and manual penetration testing differ in depth and scope, why white-box scanning inside the network yields more accurate results than black-box perimeter tests, and how bug bounty platforms like HackerOne and Standoff Bug Bounty have scaled dramatically in Russia and globally. It also covers practical requirements such as proving asset ownership, establishing triage processes, setting realistic SLAs, and handling sensitive data risks when using external services. Benchmarks from providers, updated EPSS metrics, CISA KEV catalogs, and the latest FSTEC methodology are presented as tools for better prioritization. The piece concludes with legal and operational caveats for Russian companies adopting these models in 2025.