Risk: Informational
An online auction site, WabiSabiLabi, has opened for security flaws, enabling researchers who discover vulnerabilities to profit from their findings.
The aim of the site is to reward genuine researchers and discourage flaws being exploited by malicious attackers. Exploits are known to be widely available illegally and in 2006 the infamous Windows WMF flaw was being sold by Russian hackers for £2000 before it was widely known about and long before Microsoft fixed it. Whilst many malicious attackers look for exploits for personal gains, genuine security researchers generally report flaws responsibly.
Herman Zampariolo, head of the auction site, recently said: "Our intention is that the marketplace facility on WSLabi will enable security researchers to get a fair price for their findings and ensure that they will no longer be forced to give them away for free or sell them to cyber-criminals."