United Airlines Will Pay Bug Hunters in Air Miles -- Security Today

United Airlines Will Pay Bug Hunters in Air Miles

The airline will pay a maximum of one million miles to anyone who can prove a remote code execution

By Matt Holden
May 15, 2015

United Airlines has announced it will reward anyone who is capable of proving a remote code execution on any of its planes’ Wi-Fi networks in airline miles. This announcement comes after both the FBI and TSA asked airlines to start looking for theoretical hacks to their in-flight Wi-Fi.

One report has criticized United for discouraging people from looking for in-flight vulnerabilities. An emphasis on Wi-Fi also discourages people from looking for issues that could potentially hijack a plane. Instead, hackers are asked to find weaknesses in online authentication and mobile apps.

The maximum number of miles allotted could go as high as one million.

About the Author

Matt Holden is an Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media, Inc. He received his MFA and BA in journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He currently writes and edits for Occupational Health & Safety magazine, and Security Today.

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