Today, we at Wordfence are excited to announce a groundbreaking addition to our Wordfence Bug Bounty Program: the Refer-A-Researcher Program!
Refer new researchers to our program and earn commissions when they submit valid vulnerabilities.
This is a great opportunity to earn even more with the Wordfence Bug Bounty Program – already the highest paying bug bounty program in WordPress.
This initiative is designed to reward our top security researchers for bringing new talent into the exciting world of security research.
Earn up to 20% commissions on the first 5 validated reports submitted by your referrals, with uncapped earning potential.
Note: the Refer a Researcher option is only accessible to Wordfence users with an approved researcher account. You will receive an email notifying you that you are eligible once you meet the requirements.
Making The Best WordPress Bug Bounty Program Even Better
Our mission at Wordfence is to secure the web.
Since launching just over a year ago, the Wordfence Bug Bounty Program has awarded over $400,000 in bounties and is already the leading place for WordPress security researches to earn bounties from finding bugs in WordPress plugins and themes.
Now, with the Refer-A-Researcher Program, there is even more opportunity to earn money from your bug bounty skills.
How The Refer-A-Researcher Program Works:
If you know anyone who could be a talented security researcher for WordPress plugins and themes, send them a referral link. If you have a blog, YouTube channel, Discord, or other social media, you can also share your link to your network or audience on those platforms.
Then, we take care of the rest – if fellow researchers join our program through your referral link, you earn a commission on their first 5 valid submissions.
Here’s how you can get started:
- Apply: Once you meet the eligibility requirements, check your email and/or researcher dashboard to apply.
- Get Approved: Receive approval from the Bug Bounty Team.
- Get Your Unique Referral Link – found in your researcher dashboard.
- Share Your Link: Share your unique referral link with researchers not yet registered in our program. Share on social media, via DM or email (with permission), to email newsletter subscribers, or in your favorite bug bounty Discord community.
- Encourage Participation: Help and encourage referred researchers to submit their first five in-scope vulnerability reports. Feel free to share our resources for beginner researchers to get them started, and help them join the community in our Discord to connect with other world-class researchers.
- Track Progress: Monitor your referrals’ progress through your Researcher Dashboard.
- Earn Commissions: Once your referral submits five validated reports, you’ll earn a 20% commission bonus based on their total awarded bounties.
For complete details, be sure to review our full terms and conditions.
Commissions
Receive a 20% commission on the cumulative bounties from the first five validated reports submitted by your referrals.
Unlimited Earnings: There’s no cap on how much you can earn—refer as many researchers as you’d like!
Example:
If a referred researcher submits five vulnerabilities earning $100 each, you’ll receive a $100 commission once those reports are validated and approved.
Sharing Your Referral Link
After approval, your referral link can be shared personally with your friends, or on your blog, social media accounts, YouTube video descriptions, or in Discord communities (with community manager approval).
How To Help Your Referrals Earn Their First Bounties
After your referrals sign up, there are many ways you can help them get started and find success as soon as possible:
1) We recommend having them join the official Wordfence Bug Bounty Discord
There, they can chat with fellow researchers, get tips from members of the Wordfence threat intelligence team, and learn the latest successful discoveries, techniques, and promotions.
As a bonus, you can recommend that they also subscribe to the Wordfence Security Newsletter and follow the Wordfence Blog to stay up to date on the latest vulnerabilities, writeups, and bounties.
2) Share some of our tutorials and training material on getting started with WordPress Bug Bounty:
Feel free to share any of the free resources below to help them get started:
- (XSS Video Tutorial): How To Get Started With WordPress Bug Bounty – Finding XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) Vulnerabilities
- WordPress Security Research: A Beginner’s Series
- How To Find XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) Vulnerabilities in WordPress Plugins and Themes
- Wordfence Researcher Featured on Critical Thinking Podcast: Sharing Advanced WordPress Bug Bounty Tips and Tricks
3) Encourage & support your referrals as they grow and level up their skills and experience.
The most successful bug bounty researchers find success by persistence, determination, and constantly building their skills.
Mental hurdles can sometimes be the most challenging, especially if you don’t have a good support group.
If you happen to have the skills, knowledge, and bandwidth to help your referrals level up their skills, everyone wins – your referrals earn more, you’ll earn more, and the WordPress ecosystem and entire web benefit from getting a bit safer.
And if you don’t have the bandwidth, that’s ok too – and that’s why we created the Wordfence Bug Bounty Discord.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the Refer-A-Researcher Program, you must:
- Be a registered researcher for at least one month.
- Submit at least 10 valid in-scope vulnerabilities.
- Actively promote meaningful vulnerability research in WordPress.
- Receive approval from the Wordfence Bug Bounty Team.
Once you’re eligible, we’ll notify you via email and enable you to apply. You’ll also find a new message in your Researcher Dashboard offering an invitation to apply.
You’ll also be able to track your eligibility through your Researcher Dashboard.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re an active researcher with a passion for WordPress security, the Refer-A-Researcher Program is your opportunity to amplify your impact.
When you meet the eligibility requirements, look out for an email and a notice in your Researcher Dashboard. If you haven’t met them yet, keep on hunting!
Together, let’s continue to build the best WordPress bug bounty program and researcher community on the web.
Together, we can continue to make the web a safer place.
Thank you for being a vital part of the Wordfence community.
The post Wordfence Bug Bounty Researchers: Unlock More Earning Potential With New “Refer A Researcher” Program appeared first on Wordfence.
