
Facebook hands out White Hat debit cards to hackers - FluidDjango
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-57350464-245/facebook-hands-out-white-hat-debit-cards-to-hackers/
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danielmeade
I for one think this is a brilliant concept. As mentioned previously it taps
into the feeling of exclusivity and being part of the 'elite few' eligible for
such a thing, going much farther than just a monetary reward. Surely that in
itself is enough to keep hackers interested and producing results, which
ultimately is what the program aims to do.

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adamjernst
This is a well-meaning gesture and I'm sure that Facebook can't track
transactions just because they commissioned the card.

Still, I can't imagine security researcher types are going to like the idea of
making daily purchases with a card commissioned and owned by Facebook!

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tptacek
I'm sure if you're finding bugs and you ask nicely, Facebook will forgo the
publicity stunt for you and just cut you a check.

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daeken
You have the option of getting a check, Western Union payment, or the card.
The WU option may no longer be there since they put out this debit card -- not
sure.

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jballanc
So what happens when one of the White Hats figures out how to access the
interface used to add value to his/her card?

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wmf
He goes to prison?

But seriously, I wouldn't even _look_ for holes in any payment system without
prior indemnification.

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daeken
Hell, I work as a security consultant for a living and any time I touch live
finance systems I tread _very_ lightly. Any significantly complex system with
money directly involved is going to have too many variables to predict its
behavior. I wouldn't touch something like this with a ten foot clown pole.

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tptacek
Presumably this is being run through a real bank with a real underwriting
department. A VISA card that works at ATMs is not fun-and-games; it's not a
Facebook feature.

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daeken
Yea, this is well into the realm of going to jail for a long time if you touch
anything. Find it pretty doubtful that anyone will even try.

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MichaelApproved
The card reminds me of the American Express Black Card in its exclusivity.
It's Like a certificate of achievement and a nice item to have even after you
spend the money.

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justincormack
Er no you just need lots of money to get that.. Wikipedia says

"The "Centurion" card is invitation-only after appropriate net worth, credit
and spending criteria are met. American Express does not publicly disclose the
requirements for getting a card"

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corin_
Yes, in that example the "achievement" is meeting their net worth and spending
criteria.

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hudibras
"Facebook whitehat card not as prestigious as the SVC card, but very cool."

What's the SVC card?

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nbpoole
I assume it's a card issued by Secunia's program:

<http://secunia.com/community/research/svcrp>

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sliverstorm
Shouldn't the card be ivory?

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comex
I think the card would look more distinctive if it were white. :)

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cf0ed2aa-bdf5
When I heard about the white hat card I imagined it having a more facebooky
look.

Like facebook blue and "white hat" in the facebook font.

The debit card is a really cool idea though.

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ditoa
Is that MZ in the reflection?

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cf0ed2aa-bdf5
It certainly looks like him.

The image was provided by facebook as well so I guess it would be pretty safe
to assume it's MZ.

