In the 2016, a 10-year-old who wasn’t even old enough to sign up for Facebook surprised Mark Zuckerberg by hacking Facebook’s photo-sharing app, Instagram. A tech genius boy named Jani from Helsinki, got $10,000 from Facebook for finding a security flaw.
According to the Finnish news outlet Iltalehti, the Facebook white-hat hacker bug bounty program paid out $10,000 to Jani, whose last name is being withheld for security reasons. The program rewards hackers who find security holes in Facebook’s network, including those in services owned by Facebook like Oculus, Onavo, and Instagram.
Jani claimed to have access to Facebook’s servers and was able to remove text comments from other users’ photos, including those of famous people like Justin Bieber. Jani used a fake Instagram account to show this to Facebook. Facebook has disclosed that the flaw was caused by a private API that failed to match the user who posted a comment and the user who deleted it.
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The boy’s father claims that Jani and his twin brother, who is also apparently quite the hacker, have previously found security holes online. However, this is the first time they have been compensated significantly for their work.
Given Jani’s strong beginning, it is possible that he will become one of the most accomplished white-hat hackers. He explained to the Finnish media that he got his start in hacking by watching tutorials on YouTube and that he now wants to work in the sector. “It would be the job of my dreams. The importance of security cannot be overstated.”
Jani intends to put his savings toward purchasing a new bicycle and a football, just as any other mature youngster would.
According to a 2015 press release from the company, Facebook’s bug bounty program, which started in 2011, has paid out more than $4.3 million to more than 800 security researchers.
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