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Platform Behavior Standards

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Bugcrowd strives to create a safe, inclusive and positive environment for the mutual benefit of Researchers and Customers alike, allowing for collaborative engagement in the pursuit of a safer Internet.

The Platform Behavior Standards are in place to help Researchers better understand unacceptable issues and behaviors on our platform, and which measures are taken when we become aware of an incident.

Behavior Type Severity Value Definitions & Example Behaviors
Disruptive Behavior 1
  • Testing which causes a disruption for the Program Owner
  • Spamming for updates in submissions
  • Submitting a high volume of tickets to support
Aggressive Behavior 1
  • Using unprofessional language with the Program Owners, other Researchers, and Bugcrowd employees
Out of Scope 1
  • Testing outside of the provided scopes on a bounty brief, submitting issues that are out of scope repeatedly, or not following the program bounty brief instructions. If a Researcher thinks they have a high impact vulnerability that is out of scope but should be brought to the customer’s attention, please submit the vulnerability for our Triage team to evaluate. If the Program Owner does not accept the submission, Bugcrowd will mark it Not Applicable, so the submission doesn’t impact the Researcher negatively.
Out of Band Contact 1
  • When a Researcher contacts a Customer or Bugcrowd employee outside of the bounds of Bugcrowd’s platform
Duplicate Abuse 2
  • Attempting to game the Bugcrowd systems by submitting a large number of duplicate submissions or even self-duplicates to the platform
Program Disclosure 2
  • Exposing the existence of a customer or Private Program that is running on Bugcrowd
Disclosure Threat 3
  • Threatening to disclose a vulnerability submitted through the Bugcrowd platform (such as Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc.)
Unauthorized Disclosure 4
  • Vulnerability Sharing; Unauthorized disclosure of Confidential Information, Proprietary Information, or Personal Information. A researcher disclosing a vulnerability submitted through the Bugcrowd platform (such as Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc.). Interacting or accessing any accounts and systems without the explicit permission from the account holder.
Abusive Behavior & Harassment 4
  • Using aggressive and/or extreme language within submissions or in interactions with Program Owners, other Researchers, and Bugcrowd employees. Harassment, including but not limited to the following, is unacceptable and prohibited:
  1. Offensive user-generated or submitted content (for example, related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability, etc. (including offensive user names))
  2. Use of nudity and/or sexual images (including presentation slides).
  3. Abusive or threatening language.
  4. Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following including seeking out uninvited personal contact with Bugcrowd employees or customers via personal phone or email, harassing materials, photography or recording.
  5. Inappropriate physical contact (at any Bugcrowd or industry events), and/or unwelcome sexual attention.
  6. Making unjustified accusations against other user(s).
  7. Personal attacks, including hurtful, insulting or hostile comments.
Extortion Threat 4
  • Threatening to extort a company, customer, or employee for unfair gain on the Bugcrowd platform
Ban Dodge 5
  • Reactivating and/or creating a new researcher account on the Bugcrowd platform after being permanently banned

 

 

These Enforcement Actions apply to all persons entering our platform or engaging in communication with customers and Bugcrowd employees.

Total Severity Value Enforcement Measure Action Definition
1 Coaching Message The researcher receives a coaching message from Bugcrowd explaining what behavior is unacceptable, provided guidance for correcting the behavior going forward, and how many points they have.
2 Warning The researcher receives a warning messaged explaining what behavior is unacceptable, and an outline of what will happen if they have another incident and how many points they have.
3 Final Warning The researcher receives a final warning messaged explaining what behavior is unacceptable, the next incident will result in Temporary Suspension or Platform Ban, and how many points they have.
4 Temporary Suspension The researcher receives a messaging outlining how long they are temporarily suspended from the platform and how many points they have.
5+ Platform Ban The researcher has 5+ points and is removed from the platform with messaging outlining why they have been banned.

 

Please be aware; Bugcrowd retains the ability to adjust the severity of an enforcement measure depending on the gravity of the infraction. Additionally, depending on the nature of the infraction, Bugcrowd may impose further enforcement penalties such as extended ban durations, immediate program removal, and permanent removal from the Bugcrowd platform.

Other violations of this Code of Conduct, the Standard Disclosure Terms, the Terms of Service, or other applicable terms and customer program briefs can result in enforcement actions as well, including a warning and/or removal of access to elements of the Bugcrowd platform on a temporary or permanent basis depending on the severity of the violation. In some instances, an offender will be removed from Bugcrowd bounties or from the Bugcrowd community entirely.

All policy enforcement and eligibility decisions are made entirely at the discretion of Bugcrowd. Decisions are final and considered private matters between Bugcrowd’s team members and the individuals(s) involved. If you have any questions about a recent action taken on your account, please contact Bugcrowd Support for details.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU RECEIVE AN ENFORCEMENT ACTION

Bugcrowd counts 1-mark and 2-mark incidents toward Total Marks for a rolling 12-month period. After 12 months, 1-mark and 2-mark incidents are considered expired and are only included in incident reviews if a pattern of behavior precedes this new incident. 4- and 5-mark incidents never expire and are considered active for the purpose of a new incident review. Additionally, program invitations may be revoked at the discretion of Customers and/or Bugcrowd based on the severity of the incident(s).

If a researcher is banned from the platform, they may request a Reinstatement Review after 1-full year. Bugcrowd will provide the Researcher with an update once the Reinstatement Review is completed. Depending on the severity of previous incidents, we may not accept a Researcher’s Reinstatement, and the ban may remain in place. Contact Support Portal to request a Reinstatement Review.

HELP US, HELP YOU

If you observe a fellow Researcher violating our Code of Conduct and/or exhibiting malicious behaviors that are not conducive to building a safe and positive professional environment, please report it to the Bugcrowd Support Team at Support Portal. We are grateful for your support in fortifying our community’s experience.

TERMS & CONDITIONS AND STANDARD DISCLOSURE POLICY

We have a Terms and Conditions document describing your (and our) behavior and rights related to content, privacy, and laws. To participate in Bugcrowd programs and offerings you must agree to abide by our Terms and Conditions and the Standard Disclosure Terms.

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