Unlike Microsoft, Apple Isn’t Paying Researchers Enough for Security Bugs

Microsoft’s bug bounty programs have flourished in the last couple of years, with the company paying thousands of dollars to security researchers who discover and report vulnerabilities in its top products, like Windows and Edge browser.

But as compared to Microsoft, Apple seems to be going in the opposite direction, with security researchers choosing to sell bugs to third parties rather than to the company because of a very simple reason: Cupertino isn’t paying enough money for their work.

According to Apple’s own bounty program, the iPhone maker would pay up to $200,000 for a secure boot firmware up and no less than $100,000 for extraction of confidential material protected by the Secure Enclave Processor.

Microsoft says it has paid over $200,000 in bounties for Microsoft Edge browser alone in just 10 months, according to a recent statement of Akila Srinivasan from the Microsoft Security Response Center.

Not paying enough

At first glance, secu...