Using Real-world Bug Bounty Programs in Secure Coding Course: Experience Report

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Malinka, Kamil, Firc, Anton, Loutocký, Pavel, Vostoupal, Jakub, Krištofík, Andrej, Kasl, František
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866929318832111616
author Malinka, Kamil
Firc, Anton
Loutocký, Pavel
Vostoupal, Jakub
Krištofík, Andrej
Kasl, František
author_facet Malinka, Kamil
Firc, Anton
Loutocký, Pavel
Vostoupal, Jakub
Krištofík, Andrej
Kasl, František
contents To keep up with the growing number of cyber-attacks and associated threats, there is an ever-increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals and new methods and technologies. Training new cybersecurity professionals is a challenging task due to the broad scope of the area. One particular field where there is a shortage of experts is Ethical Hacking. Due to its complexity, it often faces educational constraints. Recognizing these challenges, we propose a solution: integrating a real-world bug bounty programme into cybersecurity curriculum. This innovative approach aims to fill the gap in practical cybersecurity education and also brings additional positive benefits. To evaluate our idea, we include the proposed solution to a secure coding course for IT-oriented faculty. We let students choose to participate in a bug bounty programme as an option for the semester assignment in a secure coding course. We then collected responses from the students to evaluate the outcomes (improved skills, reported vulnerabilities, a better relationship with security, etc.). Evaluation of the assignment showed that students enjoyed solving such real-world problems, could find real vulnerabilities, and that it helped raise their skills and cybersecurity awareness. Participation in real bug bounty programmes also positively affects the security level of the tested products. We also discuss the potential risks of this approach and how to mitigate them.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2404_12043
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Using Real-world Bug Bounty Programs in Secure Coding Course: Experience Report
Malinka, Kamil
Firc, Anton
Loutocký, Pavel
Vostoupal, Jakub
Krištofík, Andrej
Kasl, František
Cryptography and Security
To keep up with the growing number of cyber-attacks and associated threats, there is an ever-increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals and new methods and technologies. Training new cybersecurity professionals is a challenging task due to the broad scope of the area. One particular field where there is a shortage of experts is Ethical Hacking. Due to its complexity, it often faces educational constraints. Recognizing these challenges, we propose a solution: integrating a real-world bug bounty programme into cybersecurity curriculum. This innovative approach aims to fill the gap in practical cybersecurity education and also brings additional positive benefits. To evaluate our idea, we include the proposed solution to a secure coding course for IT-oriented faculty. We let students choose to participate in a bug bounty programme as an option for the semester assignment in a secure coding course. We then collected responses from the students to evaluate the outcomes (improved skills, reported vulnerabilities, a better relationship with security, etc.). Evaluation of the assignment showed that students enjoyed solving such real-world problems, could find real vulnerabilities, and that it helped raise their skills and cybersecurity awareness. Participation in real bug bounty programmes also positively affects the security level of the tested products. We also discuss the potential risks of this approach and how to mitigate them.
title Using Real-world Bug Bounty Programs in Secure Coding Course: Experience Report
topic Cryptography and Security
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.12043