The University of New South Wales has called on the government to protect bug bounty hunters

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has urged for the protection of vulnerability researchers during Australia’s current cyber security consultations. In a submission to the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy discussion paper, the university’s Allen Lab and its business school’s regulatory laboratory highlighted the lack of protection for individuals participating in a “vulnerability disclosure program” who may inadvertently commit a crime due to misinterpretation of the program’s rules. UNSW recommended the implementation of legislation at both the federal and state level, which could include a definition of a vulnerability disclosure program, and the creation of an opt-in registry for such programs, with agreed standards for their operation. The submission suggested legal protection could be provided by creating a definition of allowable conduct for participants or a defence to computer crime offences for conduct defined as “good faith participation” in a program.