A hacker in Finland has become the youngest person to receive a reward from Facebook’s bug bounty program, but he’ll have to wait three years before he’s old enough to humblebrag about it on the social media platform.
Jani, 10, whose last name isn’t being shared at the request of his parents, uncovered a way to delete any given comment on Instagram, the photo-sharing company that Facebook bought for $1 billion in 2012.
The flaw Jani exposed gave him the power to erase anyone’s comments, even those posted by “Justin Bieber,” he told Iltalehti, the news outlet in Finland that first reported Jani’s exploits.
He left Bieber alone, however, tipping off Facebook instead. Facebook says it fixed the flaw in February.
Facebook compensated the young Finn — or, more accurately, his parents on Jani’s behalf — to the tune of $10,000.
Jani set a hacking record as the youngest bug bounty hunter recognized by Facebook; previously, that title belonged to a 13-year-old.
With the loot he scored from Facebook, Jani plans to buy exactly what a 10-year-old with a 10-grand windfall would dream of: soccer gear, a new bike, and computers for himself and his twin brother.
Jani hopes to parlay his early prowess into a career in computer security.
This reward puts Jani in the upper tier of hackers Face book has paid for finding bugs. Since the company launched its bounty program in 2011, Facebook says it has paid out about $4.3 million to more than 800 researchers.
Melanie Ensign, a security representative at Facebook, told The Washington Post in a telephone interview Wednesday that most of those payouts are much smaller amounts.
