Redefining CyberSecurity

Beg Bounty: The New Wave of Unrequested Bug Claims and What They Mean | A Conversation with Casey Ellis | Redefining CyberSecurity with Sean Martin⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥ Understanding Beg Bounties and Their Growing Impact This episode examines an issue that many organizations have begun to notice, yet often do not know how to interpret. Sean Martin is joined by Casey Ellis, Founder of Bugcrowd and Co-Founder of disclose.io, to break down what a “beg bounty” is, why it is increasing, and how security leaders should think about it in the context of responsible vulnerability handling. Bug Bounty vs. Beg Bounty Casey explains the core principles of a traditional bug bounty program. At its core, a bug bounty is a structured engagement in which an organization invites security researchers to identify vulnerabilities and pays rewards based on severity and impact. It is scoped, governed, and linked to an established policy. The process is predictable, defensible, and aligned with responsible disclosure norms. A beg bounty is something entirely different. It occurs when an unsolicited researcher claims to have found a vulnerability and immediately asks whether the organization offers incentives or rewards. In many cases, the claim is vague or unsupported and is often based on automated scanner output rather than meaningful research. Casey notes that these interactions can feel like unsolicited street windshield washing, where the person provides an unrequested service and then asks for payment. Why It Matters for CISOs and Security Teams Security leaders face a difficult challenge. These messages appear serious on the surface, yet most offer no actionable details. Responding to each one triggers incident response workflows, consumes time, and raises unnecessary internal concern. Casey warns that these interactions can create confusion about legality, expectations, and even the risk of extortion. At the same time, ignoring every inbound message is not a realistic long-term strategy. Some communications may contain legitimate findings from well-intentioned researchers who lack guidance. Casey emphasizes the importance of process, clarity, and policy. How Organizations Can Prepare According to Casey, the most effective approach is to establish a clear vulnerability disclosure policy. This becomes a lightning rod for inbound security information. By directing researchers to a defined path, organizations reduce noise, set boundaries, and reinforce safe communication practices. The episode highlights the need for community norms, internal readiness, and a shared understanding between researchers and defenders. Casey stresses that good-faith researchers should never introduce payment into the first contact. Organizations should likewise be prepared to distinguish between noise and meaningful security input. This conversation offers valuable context for CISOs, security leaders, and business owners navigating the growing wave of unsolicited bug claims and seeking practical ways to address them. ⬥GUEST⬥ Casey Ellis, Founder and Advisor at Bugcrowd | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyjohnellis/ ⬥HOST⬥ Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com ⬥RESOURCES⬥ Inspiring Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/caseyjohnellis_im-thinking-we-should-start-charging-bug-activity-7383974061464453120-caEW Disclose.io: https://disclose.io/ ⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥ ✨ More Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast: 🎧 https://www.seanmartin.com/redefining-cybersecurity-podcast Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast on YouTube: 📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllS9aVGdiakVss9u7xgYDKYq 📝 The Future of Cybersecurity Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7108625890296614912/ Contact Sean Martin to request to be a guest on an episode of Redefining CyberSecurity: https://www.seanmartin.com/contact ⬥KEYWORDS⬥ cybersecurity, bug bounty, vulnerability disclosure, beg bounty, hacking, researcher, ciso, security teams, risk management, web security, security policy, vulnerability reporting, cyber risk, bugcrowd, discloseio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

584

37min

Bridging the Cybersecurity Divide Between the Haves and Have-Nots: Lessons from Australia’s CISO Community | A Conversation with Andrew Morgan | Redefining CyberSecurity with Sean Martin⬥GUEST⬥ Andrew Morgan, Chief Information Security Officer | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmorgancism/ ⬥HOST⬥ Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com ⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥ The cybersecurity community has long recognized an uncomfortable truth: the gap between well-resourced enterprises and underfunded organizations keeps widening. This divide isn’t just about money; it’s about survivability. When a small business, school, or healthcare provider is hit with a major breach, the likelihood of permanent closure is exponentially higher than for a large enterprise. As host of the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast, I’ve seen this imbalance repeatedly — and the conversation with Andrew Morgan underscores why it persists and what can be done about it. The Problem: Structural Imbalance Large enterprises operate with defined budgets, mature governance, and integrated security operations centers. They can afford redundancy, talent, and tooling. Meanwhile, small and mid-sized organizations are often left with fragmented controls, minimal staff, and reliance on external vendors or managed providers. The result is a “have and have not” world. The “haves” can detect, contain, and recover. The “have nots” often cannot. When they are compromised, the impact isn’t just reputational — it can mean financial collapse or service disruption that directly affects communities. The Hidden Costs of Complexity Even when smaller organizations invest in technology, they often fall into the trap of overtooling without strategy. Multiple, overlapping systems create noise, false confidence, and operational fatigue. Morgan describes this as a symptom of viewing cybersecurity as a subset of IT rather than as a business enabler. Simplification is key. A rationalized platform approach — even if not best-of-breed — can deliver better visibility and sustainability than a patchwork of disconnected tools. The goal should not be perfection; it should be proportionate protection aligned with business risk. The Solution: Culture, Collaboration, and Continuity Cyber resilience starts with people and culture. As Morgan puts it, programs must be driven by culture, informed by risk, and delivered through people, process, and technology. Security can’t succeed in isolation from the organization’s purpose or its people. The Australian CISO Tribe provides a real-world model for collaboration. Its members share threat intelligence, peer validation, and practical experiences — a living example of collective defense in action. Whether formalized or ad-hoc, these networks give security leaders context, community, and shared strength. Getting Back to Basics Practical resilience isn’t glamorous. It’s about getting the basics right — consistent patching, logging, phishing-resistant authentication, verified backups, and tested recovery plans. It’s about ensuring that, if everything fails, you can still get back up. When security becomes a business-as-usual practice rather than a project, organizations begin to move from reactive defense to proactive resilience. The Takeaway Bridging the cybersecurity divide doesn’t require endless budgets. It requires prioritization, simplification, and partnership. The “have nots” may never mirror enterprise scale, but they can adopt enterprise discipline — and that can make all the difference between temporary disruption and permanent failure. ⬥RESOURCES⬥ Inspiring Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrewmorgancism_last-night-i-was-fortunate-enough-to-spend-activity-7383972144507994112-V3Zr/ ⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥ ✨ More Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast: 🎧 https://www.seanmartin.com/redefining-cybersecurity-podcast Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast on YouTube: 📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllS9aVGdiakVss9u7xgYDKYq 📝 The Future of Cybersecurity Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7108625890296614912/ Contact Sean Martin to request to be a guest on an episode of Redefining CyberSecurity: https://www.seanmartin.com/contact ⬥KEYWORDS⬥ sean martin, andrew morgan, australia, ciso, risk, resilience, cybersecurity, business continuity, governance, compliance, redefining cybersecurity, cybersecurity podcast, redefining cybersecurity podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

582

52min

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