Bug Bounty Programme Management

CREST-Certified Bug Bounty Programme Design and Management for UK Businesses

Bug bounty programmes attract continuous external security research, but only if scoped, triaged, and paid out professionally. We design and manage bug bounty programmes for UK businesses: pre-bounty hardening, scope definition, hunter triage, payout coordination, and CVSS-aligned severity adjudication.

Scope a Programme Explore Every Service

Continuous coverage
Analyst-validated alerts
No payout markup

CREST member, approved penetration testing provider

Accredited & recognised

CREST

Approved Provider

ALWAYS

External Research

FREE

Retest Included

24h

Scope to Active Test

CLIENT REFERENCE

“I would highly recommend EJN Labs to any organisation seeking reliable, detailed, and well-managed penetration testing services, particularly for government or enterprise-level projects.”

Imran SaghirProject Lead, SquareOne

CLIENT REFERENCE

“There wasn’t another company we could find that could deliver what we needed in the timeframe we needed. The client loved it, and we got instant ROI from the engagement.”

Dan WilcocksonCo-Founder, Cellori

WHY IT MATTERS

30-50%

reduction in total bounty payout from pre-bounty hardening over the programme’s first 12 months. We remove the obvious findings before launch.

Bug bounty without the fire-fighting.

Public bug bounty programmes attract thousands of submissions; most are low-severity, duplicate, or out-of-scope. Without proper triage, your security team drowns in noise. Hunters get demotivated by slow responses. Critical findings get lost. Your programme reputation deteriorates and the best researchers stop submitting.

Our bug bounty management combines pre-bounty hardening (we run a focused pen test before launch to remove the obvious findings), professional triage (CREST-certified consultants validate every submission), CVSS-aligned severity adjudication, payout coordination, and ongoing programme tuning.

Reports satisfy ISO 27001 A.5.7 / A.8.8 vulnerability management evidence and provide auditors with a documented continuous security testing process.

BUG BOUNTY PROGRAMME COMPONENTS

What Bug Bounty Management Includes

End-to-end programme design, hardening, triage, and ongoing management.

BB-1

Programme Design

Scope definition, exclusion list, severity matrix, payout structure, ROE, legal sign-off, public/private decision.

BB-2

Pre-Bounty Hardening

Focused pen test before bounty launch. Removes the obvious findings. Reduces total bounty payout by 30-50% over the programme lifetime.

BB-3

Platform Selection

HackerOne / Bugcrowd / Intigriti / Immunefi / YesWeHack / self-hosted. Platform-agnostic recommendation based on sector and scope.

BB-4

Researcher Triage

First-line triage of every submission. Out-of-scope filtering, duplicate detection, reproducibility validation, severity adjudication.

BB-5

CVSS Severity Adjudication

Independent CVSS-aligned severity scoring. Reduces hunter disputes. Aligns payout to genuine business impact.

BB-6

Hunter Communication

Professional, prompt hunter responses. Maintains researcher engagement. Protects programme reputation in the bounty community.

BB-7

Payout Coordination

Monthly payout cycle, dispute resolution, hunter relationship management, top-researcher engagement, hall of fame programme.

BB-8

Programme Tuning

Quarterly review of submission rate, severity distribution, payout efficiency. Scope adjustments to attract specific researcher skill sets.

BB-9

Internal Engineer Coordination

Liaison with your engineering teams for finding remediation. Ticket creation, severity prioritisation, retest validation.

BB-10

Compliance Mapping

Bug bounty findings mapped to ISO 27001 A.8.8 vulnerability management evidence and SOC 2 CC7.1 monitoring evidence.

BB-11

VDP Programme

Vulnerability Disclosure Programme (no-payout) operation as a precursor to or alongside paid bounty.

BB-12

Bug Bounty Audit

Annual audit of bug bounty programme effectiveness: submission quality, payout efficiency, MTTR, repeat-finding rate.

FOUR-PHASE METHODOLOGY

Bug Bounty Management: From Design to Continuous Operation

Pre-bounty hardening reduces baseline payout. Professional triage maintains researcher engagement. Ongoing tuning improves programme economics.

Programme Design

Scope, payout structure, ROE, platform selection. Sector-specific design (different platforms for fintech vs SaaS vs Web3).

Pre-Bounty Hardening

Focused pen test before public launch. Removes obvious findings. Substantially reduces baseline bounty cost.

Triage Operation

First-line triage of every submission. CREST consultant validates, CVSS-scores, communicates with hunter, coordinates with your engineering team.

Programme Tuning

Quarterly programme review, scope adjustments, payout structure optimisation, top-researcher engagement, hall of fame management.

CREDENTIALS

Verified Accreditations Auditors Accept

Every credential below is independently verifiable. UK procurement teams, FCA supervisors, ISO 27001 / SOC 2 auditors, and cyber insurance underwriters all recognise these standards.

GET YOUR QUOTE

Scope your managed bug bounty programme

A managed programme, scoped per engagement. We reply within one business day with a programme design and a CREST-aligned analyst. No sales pipeline, no chasing.

CREST and IASME accredited. Triage your auditors and clients already recognise.
Managed programme, scoped per engagement. Pre-bounty hardening, platform selection, and ongoing triage.
Analyst-validated submissions. Every report reviewed by a CREST-aligned analyst, in real time, never raw noise.
Continuous coverage, no payout markup. Bounties paid to researchers, not marked up by us.

What clients say

There wasn’t another company we could find that could deliver what we needed in the timeframe we needed. The client loved it, and we got instant ROI from the engagement.

Dan WilcocksonCo-Founder, Cellori

Under NDA Further named references available on a scoping call.

What happens next

We reply within one business day with a programme design and a CREST-aligned analyst.
You approve the scope and we set up the programme, usually within one week.
Analyst-validated submissions land in your portal continuously, triaged in real time.

Accredited & recognised

Scope your managed bug bounty programme

⚡24h reply ✓CREST-aligned analyst ↻Continuous coverage

or book a 20-min scoping call first

We reply within one business day. Your data stays with us. No newsletter signup.

COMPLIANCE READY

Bug Bounty Reports Mapped to Every Framework

Bug bounty as a continuous vulnerability management control. Evidence accepted across compliance frameworks.

ISO 27001 A.8.8

Vulnerability management: bug bounty provides continuous external testing evidence ISO 27001:2022 increasingly expects.

ISO 27001 A.5.7

Threat Intelligence: bug bounty submissions are a threat-intelligence source about adversary tradecraft.

SOC 2 Type II

CC7.1 vulnerability identification, CC7.2 monitoring evidence accepted by SOC 2 auditors.

NIS2

Essential services obligations include continuous vulnerability management; bug bounty is one of the strongest evidence sources.

FCA / PRA Operational Resilience

Continuous vulnerability awareness for Important Business Services: bug bounty supports severe-but-plausible scenario evidence.

NCSC Vulnerability Disclosure

Aligned to NCSC Vulnerability Disclosure Toolkit, UK government’s recommended VDP / bug bounty practice.

PRICING

Bug Bounty Programme Pricing

A managed programme scoped to your sector, platform, and asset inventory. The same CREST-aligned triage and deliverables on every programme; contact us to find out.

MANAGED BUG BOUNTY

A managed programme, scoped per engagement against your sector, platform, and asset inventory. Bounties are funded by you and paid to researchers without markup. We size the pool with you during scoping.

✦ INCLUDED ON EVERY MANAGED PROGRAMME ✦

✓Pre-bounty hardening before launch

✓CREST-aligned analyst triage

✓CVSS severity adjudication

✓Hunter communication maintained

✓Payout coordination, no markup

✓ISO 27001 A.8.8 / A.5.7 evidence

Scope my programme

Full pricing details

BY SECTOR

Bug Bounty Programmes for Your Sector

Bug bounty platform selection and scope vary by sector. We design programmes that attract the right researcher skill sets.

FINTECH

Fintech & FCA-Regulated

Fintech bounties (FCA-regulated): typically Bugcrowd, HackerOne, Intigriti. Specific scope around payment APIs, KYC flows.

Fintech sector page

SAAS

SaaS Companies

SaaS bounties: HackerOne, Bugcrowd. Focus on tenant isolation, OAuth flows, GraphQL endpoints.

SaaS sector page

LAW

Law Firms

Law firms: VDP-only typically; full bounty rare due to privileged-data sensitivity.

Law firm sector page

HEALTHCARE

Healthcare

Healthcare bounties: typically private Bugcrowd / HackerOne with selective researcher invitation due to PII sensitivity.

Healthcare sector page

INSURANCE

Insurance

Insurance bounties: private programmes focused on quote/bind APIs, claims-data exposure, broker portals.

Insurance sector page

PUBLIC SECTOR

Public Sector

Public sector VDP: aligned to NCSC Vulnerability Disclosure Toolkit, /security.txt publication, public-facing.

Public sector page

WHY EJN LABS

What You Actually Get

Six things that distinguish our managed bug bounty service from automated scans and box-tick competitors.

Pre-Bounty Hardening Saves 30-50%

We run a focused pen test before bounty launch. Removes the obvious findings. Substantially reduces baseline bounty payout exposure.

CREST-Aligned Triage

Every submission validated by a CREST-certified consultant. CVSS-aligned severity adjudication. No bias, no scope creep, no hunter disputes.

Hunter Engagement Maintained

Professional, prompt hunter responses. Maintains programme reputation. Top researchers continue submitting to your programme.

Zero Markup on Payouts

Bounties are funded by you and paid to researchers without markup. We charge for managed triage and coordination, never a cut of the payout.

Platform-Agnostic Coordination

HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, Immunefi, YesWeHack, or self-hosted. We recommend and run the right platform for your sector and scope.

UK CREST + IASME + ISO 27001 + ISO 9001

Independently accredited. UK-based triage team. Reports accepted by FCA, NCSC, ISO auditors, and cyber insurers.

FAQ

Frequently Asked

What is a bug bounty programme?

A bug bounty programme is a continuous external security research initiative where independent researchers (hunters) submit security vulnerabilities in exchange for cash bounties. Programmes can be public (open to all hunters) or private (invitation-only). Bug bounty complements (does not replace) periodic penetration testing.

How is bug bounty different from penetration testing?

Pen testing is point-in-time, scoped, and goal-driven. Bug bounty is continuous, broad-scope, and adversary-driven. Pen testing produces audit evidence. Bug bounty produces continuous discovery. Use both: pen testing for compliance, bug bounty for ongoing resilience.

Do we need to be public on a platform?

No. Many UK businesses run private invitation-only programmes on HackerOne or Bugcrowd, or self-hosted Vulnerability Disclosure Programmes. Public is highest-volume; private is highest-quality. We recommend based on your sector, scope, and requirements.

How are bounty payouts budgeted?

Bounty payouts are funded by you and scoped per programme against an agreed CVSS severity schedule. We size the pool with you during scoping and tier it by severity, then tune it as submission volume settles. Contact us to find out.

How long does pre-bounty hardening take?

Pre-bounty hardening is a focused pen test before bounty launch. Typical engagement: 5-10 working days. Removes the obvious findings (the issues every reasonable researcher would find), reducing baseline bounty payout by 30-50% over the programme’s first 12 months.

How do you triage submissions?

Every submission validated by a CREST-certified consultant. Out-of-scope filtered, duplicates detected, reproducibility validated, CVSS-scored. Hunter receives professional response within 24-48 hours. Genuine findings escalated to your engineering team for remediation.

Can you handle our existing programme?

Yes. We can take over an existing programme on HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, or self-hosted platforms. Migration is non-disruptive; we co-triage with your existing team during the handover, then assume full triage responsibility.

Will bug bounty conflict with our pen testing?

No. Bug bounty and pen testing are complementary. We coordinate scope to avoid duplication; pen testing covers controlled-time-frame audit evidence, bug bounty covers continuous discovery. Many clients use bug bounty findings as input to next year’s pen test scope.

How does bug bounty support ISO 27001?

ISO 27001:2022 explicitly references continuous vulnerability management (A.8.8) and threat intelligence (A.5.7). A documented bug bounty programme (with triage workflow, payout structure, and remediation evidence) provides direct evidence ISO auditors increasingly require.

Can you run a Vulnerability Disclosure Programme (no-payout)?

Yes. VDP is a no-payout precursor to (or alternative to) paid bounty. We set up the policy, publish /security.txt, run triage, and coordinate remediation. UK public-sector and many enterprise organisations choose VDP-only as their initial step. Aligned to NCSC Vulnerability Disclosure Toolkit.

Are your triage consultants UK-based?

Yes. Triage team is UK-based. Hunters submitting to managed programmes interact with our UK-based consultants: UK time zone, UK English, UK GDPR-compliant data handling.

Do you sign NDAs?

Yes. Standard NDA before any programme scope discussion. We operate under a project-specific master agreement that includes hunter-relationship management and post-engagement data destruction.

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