Do you want to earn some extra money? Just crack a Chromebook – Google has announced that it is doubling the amount of prize money for a hacker who can successful pass all Chromebook security to a grand $100,000.
There’s a reason of course: Whether hackers weren’t interested or Chromebook security is just that good, Google hasn’t found anyone who can hack into the top Chromebooks of 2017 quite yet, which makes the company impatient. It’s part of the Google strategy to reward those who find bugs or other issues in Chrome, which could be why there aren’t many loopholes left for enterprising hackers to use these days. In total, the company rewarded $2 million in 2015 to “security researchers” who found bugs or tested security.
If the thought of that $100,000 makes your eyes gleam and you have enough white hat cops to pursue the prize, know that Google has some pretty strict limits on just what qualifies as a hacked Chromebook. You need to hack Chrome OS when it is in guest mode and maintain the hack with interim reboot delivered via a web page – in other words, the hack needs to be a truly dangerous one that is persistent or relatively easy to replicate.
While no one claimed the prize last year, there’s a good chance that someone will soon nab it. Not only are there more top Chromebooks in 2017 with a wider array of specs, but Chromebooks are selling better than they ever have before, threatening the market for similar classes of laptop.
If Chromebooks really aren’t your style, Google is paying for the discovery of vulnerabilities in Android too, though not with the same prize amounts. There’s also a one $1 million fund that will be paid out to those who find flaws in Google Drive. Suffice it to say, if you like hacking for the forces of Good(gle), this could be a lucrative year for you. If you want to learn more about Chromebooks, check out our best Chromebook reviews for 2017.
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