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Re:Microsoft Announces Direct Cash Payments For Vulnerabilities by danielweber on Wednesday June 19, 2013 @04:34PM (#5908008)
Fewer people need to know about the program in general

. . . except for the outsider who mailed them about it and got paid a chunk of money as a result.

Re:Microsoft Announces Direct Cash Payments For Vulnerabilities by sliverstorm on Wednesday June 19, 2013 @04:48PM (#5908108)
Not to mention, the outsider is a complete unknown. Are they an upstanding white hat? Or are they the darkest of greys? You have no idea.

At least an internal employee is on your payroll, and has been screened with a background check. You don't get to screen which people get to discover vulnerabilities.

Re:Microsoft Announces Direct Cash Payments For Vulnerabilities by davorak on Thursday June 20, 2013 @12:47AM (#5910218)
This person would just be reporting a exploit and and getting paid for it.

They would not know about the program which takes that exploit and then gives it to the NSA.

Re:Microsoft Announces Direct Cash Payments For Vulnerabilities by sliverstorm on Thursday June 20, 2013 @03:21AM (#5910688)
And why would a programmer know it was for the NSA? Just tell your underling, "We need a backdoor for <Plausible reason>"