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Zerodium is an American information security company. The company was founded in 2015 with operations in Washington, D.C., and Europe. The company develops and acquires zero-day exploits from security researchers.
| Founded | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Information security |
| Website | www |
History
editZerodium was launched on July 25, 2015 the founders of by Vupen. The company pays bounties for zero-day exploits. A zero-day exploit is a cybersecurity attack that targets security flaws in computer hardware, software or firmware in order to maliciously plant malware, steal data, or damage the program. Bug bounty programs, including Zerodium, pay bounties for knowledge of these security flaws.
Zerodium was the first company to release a full pricing chart for zero-days, ranging from $5,000 to $1,500,000 per exploit.[1] The company was reported to have spent between $400,000 to $600,000 per month for vulnerability acquisitions in 2015.[2]
In 2016, the company increased its permanent bug bounty for iOS exploits to $1,500,000.[3]
Fast-forward to September 2019, Zerodium increased its bounty for Android exploits to $2,500,000, and for the first time, the company is paying more for Android exploits than iOS. Payouts for WhatsApp and iMessage have also been increased. The company is now reportedly spending between $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 each month for vulnerability acquisitions.[4]
Criticism
editReporters Without Borders criticized Zerodium for selling information on exploits used to spy on journalists to foreign governments.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Andy Greenbrg (18 November 2015). "Here's a Spy Firm's Price List for Secret Hacker Techniques". Wired. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ Sean Michael Kerner (21 September 2015). "Zerodium Offering a $1 Million iOS 9 Bug Bounty". eWeek.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Lily Hay Newman (29 September 2016). "A Top-Shelf iPhone Hack Now Goes for $1.5 Million". Wired.
- ^ Sophos (9 January 2019). "Zerodium's waving fatter payouts for zero-day bug hunters".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "RSF unveils 20/2020 list of press freedom's digital predators | Reporters without borders". RSF. 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
