• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Compliance, IT Infrastructure, Network Security, News

DHS’ First Bug Bounty Program Nets 122 Vulnerabilities

Hack DHS, the Department of Homeland Security's first bug bounty program, uncovers 27 critical-rated vulnerabilities.

April 25, 2022 Zachary Comeau Leave a Comment

CISA Software Security
Tada Images/ Stock.adobe.com

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says its first bug bounty program, Hack DHS, has resulted in the disclosure of more than 120 vulnerabilities, and 27 of them were determined to be critical.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the agency’s first bug bounty program in December 2021 in an attempt to find and report any instances of the Log4Shell bug, a critical remote code execution bug in the popular Java logger Log4j, across all public-facing information system assets.

The program was then expanded with the goal of developing a model that can be used by other organizations across every level of government to increase its own cybersecurity defenses ad resilience, the agency says.

The 122 vulnerabilities disclosed by more than 450 vetted security researchers was the first phase of the Hack DHS program, with the second of three phases allowing cybersecurity researchers and ethical hacker to participate in a live in-person hacking event. The third and final phase will include the department’s findings from the program to help inform future bug bounty programs.

Hack DHS leverages a platform created by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the DHS’s expert cybersecurity agency. The program is governed by several rules of engagement and is monitored by the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Participants must disclose their findings to DHS systems and owners and leadership, including the nature of the vulnerability and how it was exploited. However, the agency did not release any further details about the vulnerabilities disclosed.

DHS says it awarded a total of $125,6000 to participants for identifying the security bugs.

“The enthusiastic participation by the security researcher community during the first phase of Hack DHS enabled us to find and remediate critical vulnerabilities before they could be exploited,” DHS Chief Information Officer Eric Hysen said in a statement. “We look forward to further strengthening our relationship with the researcher community as Hack DHS progresses.”

The program builds on similar initiatives across the private and public sector, including the Department of Defense’s Hack the Pentagon program.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: bug bounty, Vulnerabilities

Related Content:

  • Cloud, SASE, Aryaka How the Cloud is Redefining Media Production and…
  • Singlewire Software mass notification interview Singlewire Software on Mass Notification Solutions
  • URI catchbox 1 Catchbox Plus: The Mic Solution That Finally Gave…
  • Engaging virtual meeting with diverse participants discussing creative ideas in a bright office space during daylight hours Diversified Survey: Workplace AV Tech is Falling Short,…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Practical Design Guide for Office SpacesPractical Design Guide for Office Spaces

    Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-face time with co-workers. When designing the office spaces — and meeting spaces in particular — enabling that connection between co-workers is crucial. But introducing the right collaboration technology in meeting spaces can […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.