A 10-year-old boy from Finland received $10,000 for finding a security flaw in image-sharing app Instagram. The Finnish boy, Jani, who is technically not allowed to create an Instagram account for another three years, found a bug on the app that allowed him to delete comments made by other users. Jani emailed Facebook, which owns Instagram, in February after discovering the flaw, BBC reported.
The tween from Helsinki is now the youngest person to ever receive Facebook’s “bug bounty” prize. The 10-year-old successfully proved his theory, after security engineers at the social media giant set up a test account for him. Facebook said it fixed the bug soon after it was found.
Since 2011, Facebook has paid $4.3 million to hackers who have helped find security loopholes in its apps. Jani told Finnish newspaper Iltalehti that he planned to use his prize money to buy football equipment, a new bike, and computers for his brothers.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!