May 17--United Airlines may be having a change of heart about hackers.
A cybersecurity expert who joked during a United Airlines flight about hacking into the plane's avionics computers was banned from flying on the carrier, even though the expert said he was pointing out a vulnerability in the airline's Wi-Fi system.
Now United Airlines is offering rewards to anyone who can uncover a bug in the airline's website, app or other software.
The so-called "bug bounty program" offers 50,000 to 1 million airline loyalty reward miles, depending on the severity of the bug.
The program has several caveats, including the most obvious: You can't get a reward if you are the source of the bug.
"We believe that this program will further bolster our security and allow us to continue to provide excellent service," the airline said.
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