The Problem
Most Web3 security researchers limit their work to projects with official bug bounty programs. This creates a dangerous imbalance:
- White-hat researchers focus only on bounty-covered code.
- Black-hat hackers target everything.
- Many protocols remain under-examined by friendly researchers.
The Disclosure Challenge
When researchers find vulnerabilities in protocols without bounty programs, they face a difficult decision:
- Share the vulnerability details upfront and hope for fair compensation.
- Keep the information private, leaving protocols vulnerable.
Neither option benefits the ecosystem. Researchers who disclose often provide valuable insights without receiving fair compensation, while protocols miss critical opportunities to address vulnerabilities due to withheld reports.
What's Needed
A straightforward system that:
- Allows researchers to protect themselves when they share valuable information.
- Gives protocols confidence in the disclosure process.
- Creates clear evidence of all commitments.
- Enables fair compensation for meaningful discoveries.
The next chapter explains how IndependentDisclosure delivers these protections through minimal yet effective mechanisms.