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PlayStation announces bug bounty program

Hacking the PS4 could get you $50,000 or more from Sony.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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PlayStation's bug bounty program could pay out $50,000 or more for hacking the PS4.

Sony

PlayStation has kicked off a bug bounty program where it will pay you for hacking into its system, latest console and accessories. Sony is partnering with HackerOne on the program, and is inviting security researchers, gamers and users to test security across the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Network.

"The security of our products is a fundamental part of creating amazing experiences for our community," the PlayStation blog said.

Sony is currently looking for reports on the PS4 system, operating system, accessories and PSN. A critical bug on the PSN will pay from $3,000, a high-severity bug $1,000, medium severity $400 and low severity $100. 

The payouts are bigger on the PS4, with a critical bug payout starting at $50,000, high severity $10,000, medium severity $2,500 and low severity $500.

It's not currently paying for bugs found on the PS1, PS2, PS3, PS Vita or PSP, or software published by third-party companies.

32 of the best games on PS4

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Correction, 9:15 p.m. PT: The PlayStation 4 bug bounty starts at $50,000.