Image sharing app Instagram has given a 10-year-old Finnish boy £7,000 as a reward for finding a security flaw in the platform.
Jani, who lives in Helskini, found a security flaw that meant he could delete other users' comments. The company say it "quickly fixed" the flaw but rewarded the boy for disclosing the information.
To prove he had found the security vulnerability Jani (his surname was not revealed) deleted a comment on a test account set-up by staff at Instagram. However, the method worked on other accounts.
Facebook, which owns Instagram, has a "bug bounty" for developers and hackers who can undercover flaws in security. "We recognise and reward security researchers who help us to keep people safe by reporting vulnerabilities in our services," it says.
"Monetary bounties for such reports are entirely at Facebook's discretion, based on risk, impact and other factors." Since the programme was introduced in 2011, it has paid out nearly £3million in bounty payments to 800 people. Jani is the youngest person to receive this bounty.
Jani has been coding for two years, and "dreams of a career in security". He told a Finnish media organisation Iltalehtithat he would be spending his winnings on "a new bike" and computers for him and his twin brother.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
