Google awards teenager $60,000 for hacking Chrome

NEW YORK — Google gave a male teenage hacker known as “Pinkie Pie” $60,000 for uncovering a flaw in its browser’s security at the second annual Pwnium competition, according to CNN Money.

Pinkie Pie was one of two hackers to win the grand prize at last year’s competition, according to Google.

Less than 10 hours after Pwnium 2, the company had updated users with a version of Chrome that resolved the issue, according to Google.

Before the first competition, Pinkie Pie sent a resume to Google last year, stating in his cover letter that he could hack their browser using a Mac, according to Wired.

In March, a member of Google’s security team told Wired they planned on following up with the teenager.

Facebook also started offering bounties to find bugs in its system, doling out a minimum of $500 to users who catch them, according to CNN Money.

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