net+ tackles cybercrime head on, with a public Bug Bounty Program with GObugfree

As the leading multimedia content provider in French-speaking Switzerland, net+ guarantees its more than 220,000 customers high-quality, customer-focused services in the areas of Internet, fixed-line telephony, mobile telephony and television - both in city centers and in remote areas. To keep pace with the fast-changing world of cybercrime and offer its customers even better protection, net+ is intensifying its security measures with a GObugfree public bug bounty program.

Increased customer protection with Bug Bounty Programs

Cyber attacks on companies, communities and providers of critical infrastructure are rising day by day - with dramatic consequences for those affected and damage running into billions of dollars. To defend themselves against cybercriminals, Swiss companies and providers of critical infrastructures are increasingly relying on bug bounty programs and thereby on the expertise of global friendly hackers, who act as guardians for the security of the affected companies.

Friendly hackers are the lifeblood of bug bounty programs. They continuously scan threatened companies for security vulnerabilities and are rewarded with a monetary amount (a bounty) for discovered vulnerabilities. Rewards are only paid for validated vulnerabilities with technical evidence, making a bug bounty program a very cost-effective measure.

For Jean-Blaise Rey, Head of Applications at net+, the benefits of bug bounty programs are clear: "Our IT is being rigorously tested by around 900 hackers. This significantly increases protection for our company and, of course, for the users of Internet services." ”

##Particularly interesting for SMEs

Bug bounty programs are particularly important for small and medium-sized enterprises that cannot afford their own cyber security department, as Jean-Blaise Rey points out: "We rely entirely on GObugfree's professionalism. We don't have to plan anything or use internal resources. At the same time, we receive important information very early on to prevent cyberattacks: Our systems are attacked by GObugfree's "Friendly Hackers" community already in the development phase. This shows us early on where our vulnerabilities lie and how we can improve our security."

Start small and grow

GObugfree offers its customers various services, as Rolf Wagner, COO of GObugfree, explains: "Our customers can choose which areas of their IT are to be infiltrated and tested, and in what form. Depending on the initial situation, different hacker groups are invited for this purpose. All friendly hackers working for GObugfree are registered with us and verified by FINMA-approved service providers we work with."

Many companies are afraid to unleash a whole army of friendly hackers on their systems at once. A good approach is to start small and then progress to a fully-fledged program as the system matures. Previously, net+ had granted selected "friendly hackers" access to its systems within a private program and is now strengthening its collaboration with GObugfree. Jean-Blaise Rey is emphatic: "With around 900 Friendly Hackers checking our systems, we significantly increase security for users of our services."