Gokul Sudhakar, a young Engineering Graduate hailing from Mannarkkad in Kerala’s Palakkad district, has recently received a remarkable reward of Rs 25 lakh from a prominent US-based Financial Technology company. His commendable achievement stems from his discovery and reporting of a critical bug in a third-party tool used by the company. This vulnerability had exposed the company’s files to potential exploitation through Remote Code Execution (RCE), enabling attackers to remotely execute malicious code on targeted computing devices. The substantial reward offered to Gokul Sudhakar represents one of the highest payouts in recent times for bug reporting.
The 25-year-old Engineer promptly reported the bug on HackerOne, a well-known bug bounty platform that incentivizes ethical hackers to identify and report vulnerabilities or bugs in various applications. The rewards on this platform are determined using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), an Industry-standard scale ranging from 0 to 10 that assesses the severity of computer system security vulnerabilities. Gokul Sudhakar’s reported bug received a perfect score of 10, signifying its critical nature.
When asked about his interest in ethical hacking, Gokul Sudhakar shared his journey, stating, “I became intrigued by ethical hacking a few years ago, but my passion grew stronger after watching movies and web series centred around hacking, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
To enhance his skills and knowledge in ethical hacking, Gokul Sudhakar enrolled in the Cyber Security Course at RedTeam Hacker Academy, located in Perinthalmanna, Malappuram district, while pursuing his B.Tech degree. Following the completion of the rigorous four-month-long CICSA course, Gokul has successfully reported vulnerabilities in over 20 websites and applications, including prominent entities such as Starbucks, Sorare, and Government websites. Gokul Sudhakar is the son of Sudhakar, a retired teacher, and Jalaja, a nurse by profession, which highlights his strong support system.
Gokul Sudhakar’s exceptional achievement serves as a testament to the importance of ethical hacking in fortifying digital systems against potential threats. His dedication, skill, and commitment to cybersecurity have not only earned him significant recognition but have also contributed to safeguarding the digital landscape for businesses and individuals alike.
