Panasonic Develops 'Bug Bounty' Program With HackerOne

LAKE FOREST, California, August 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Panasonic Avionics Corporation is engaging with elite "white hat" hackers through leading bug bounty provider HackerOne to ensure the security of its inflight entertainment systems.

HackerOne has helped major companies such as General Motors, Uber, Twitter, Airbnb, DropBox and Adobe identify and fix security vulnerabilities as part of authorised bug bounty and vulnerability coordination programs.

Panasonic, the world's largest provider of inflight entertainment and communications systems, is taking part in the program as it is acknowledged as best practice for effective security by identifying any weaknesses in internet-connected systems.

The bug bounty program will begin by inviting a select group of hackers to participate and will launch at the upcoming DefCon Conference which takes place August 4-7, 2016 in Las Vegas.

"Panasonic Avionics has always taken a proactive approach to security," said Michael Dierickx, Director of Security Engineering and Information Security Officer at Panasonic Avionics Corporation. "We have extensive processes in place to identify potential and emerging vulnerabilities, and we also engage with security consultation firms who provide penetration testing and other services. 

"Still, these teams bring a fresh perspective and innovative ways to search for potential issues. We want to harness this out-of-the-box thinking and create a win-win scenario that rewards both Panasonic and this community for our hard work and dedication." 

HackerOne partnered with the Department of Defence earlier this year for the U.S. Federal Government's first ever bug bounty program "Hack The Pentagon," which helped resolve 138 valid vulnerabilities identified by the ethical hackers.

"With the HackerOne platform Panasonic Avionics has access to the world's most powerful external security team, the global hacker community, to continue enhancing the security of their internet-connected systems," said HackerOne CEO Marten Mickos. "Inviting white hat or ethical hackers to hunt for bugs is a powerful method for making connected technology safer for everyone."

About Panasonic Avionics Corporation 

Panasonic Avionics Corporation is the world's leading supplier of inflight entertainment and communication systems. The company's best-in-class solutions, supported by professional maintenance services, fully integrate with the cabin enabling its customers to deliver the ultimate travel experiences with a rich variety of entertainment choices, resulting in improved quality communication systems and solutions, reduced time-to-market and lower overall costs.

Established in 1979, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, a U.S. corporation, is a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation. Headquartered in Lake Forest, California with over 4,400 employees and operations in 80 global locations, it has delivered over 8,000 IFE systems and 1,000 inflight connectivity solutions to the world's leading airlines. For additional information, please visit http://www.panasonic.aero.

About HackerOne  

HackerOne is the world's most popular bug bounty platform, connecting organizations with the world's largest community of highly-qualified security researchers. More than 550 organizations, including The U.S. Department of Defense, General Motors, Uber, Twitter, Yahoo!, GitHub, Square, Dropbox and the CERT Coordination Center trust HackerOne to find critical software vulnerabilities before criminals can exploit them. HackerOne is headquartered in San Francisco with a development office in the Netherlands. For more information, please visit https://hackerone.com.

SOURCE Panasonic Avionics Corporation