Skip to main content

Google guves Rs 71 lakh to Chinese researchers for Pixel devices

Google awarded over  USD 112,000 to a Chinese security researcher for reporting an exploit in Google Pixel smartphones.
The Android security team posted in the Google developers forum that Guang Gong of Alpha Team, Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. had submitted a working remote exploit chain in August 2017. This was the first such exploit since the expansion of Android Security Rewards (ASR) program.
“For his detailed report, Gong was awarded USD 105,000, which is the highest reward in the history of the ASR program and USD 7,500 by Chrome Rewards program for a total of USD 112,500,” Mayank Jain and Scott Roberts wrote for the Android security team.

Gong in a blog post also outlined the bugs he and his team discovered.
The issues reported by Gong and others as well were resolved as part of the December 2017 monthly security update. The company thanked researcher community for their contributions.
All pixel devices will automatically install these updates however the users need to restart their devices to complete the installation.
The internet giants through its Android security rewards program recognises the contributions of security researchers who invest their time and effort in identifying bugs and vulnerabilities. The program covers security vulnerabilities discovered in the latest available Android versions for Pixel phones and tablets. Currently, Pixel 2, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C are the devices under the program.
Last year, rewards were increased under the program. Rewards for a remote exploit chain or exploit leading to TrustZone or Verified Boot compromise was increased from USD 50,000 to USD 200,000. Whereas, rewards for a remote kernel exploit increase from USD 30,000 to USD 150,000.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Avengers Infinity War: Here’s why Thanos will arrive in Wakanda to fight the Marvel superheroes

As the release of Avengers: Infinity War comes closer, the excitement mounts. The release of Marvel’s biggest film to date will likely be a huge event in itself. This film is the beginning of the end of the conflict that began with The Avengers when Loki came to earth with the Chitauri army. We learned that it was Thanos who sent him. But now, the Mad Titan has had enough of underlings. He is now coming to finish the work (which is destroying half the universe but he calls it “balancing the universe”) himself and to get the Infinity Stones. Reading further may spoil the important plot point in the movie for you. One of the Infinity Stones is Mind Stone which is stuck onto the head of Vision, the  Android  being that is half Ultron and half Jarvis and now a superhero. Vision was given birth in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Fans had guessed, correctly as it turned out, that the Lord of the Rings style battle scene as glimpsed in the Avengers: Infinity War trailer was being ...

India's New Satellite To Boost Armed Forces, Help Moon Mission: 10 Facts

India's very powerful, home-made communications satellite shot off into the blue sky today, leaving a smoky trail, on the back of the heavyweight GSLV rocket. The successful launch by the scientists of space agency ISRO drew praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 2066-ton satellite, built at a cost of Rs. 270 crore, will be able to send and receive signals from hand-held devices. It is expected to be particularly useful for security forces stationed in the remotest corners of the country. The rocket also has a special feature -- a new engine, which, if successful, will be crucial for India's second Moon mission. Here are the top 10 updates in the GSAT-6A launch: Congratulating the scientists, PM Narendra Modi tweeted, "GSAT-6A, a communication satellite, will provide new possibilities for mobile applications. Proud of @isro for taking the nation towards new heights and a brighter future". The GSAT-6A carries one of the largest antennas that has be...

FAKE AADHAAR USED TO BOOK HOTEL ROOM IN URVASHI RAUTELA'S NAME

The Mumbai Police has registered a case against an unidentified person for using a fake Aadhaar card of Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela to book a hotel room in a starred hotel in Bandra. Initial probe revealed that the Aadhaar card used for booking carried the wrong unique identification number. Urvashi Rautela came to know about the use of a fake Aadhaar card of her name when she went to the Bandra hotel for an event on Tuesday. During the event, a hotel staff approached the actress and informed her that a room was booked in her name. Upon asking, Rautela’s secretary denied having booked any room at the hotel. “I asked my secretary about it and learnt that no booking was done. Someone has misused my name and photograph on the Aadhaar card to book a room in the hotel. However, the Aadhaar number didn’t belong to me,” Urvashi Rautela was quoted as saying. The Bandra police registered an offence under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) against the un...