Jump Crypto updates Firedancer bug bounty terms for Solana validator software

Jump Crypto has updated the bug bounty rules for Firedancer, its independent Solana validator software. Effective October 18, security researchers must burn one SOL to qualify for a bug bounty payment, CryptoSlate and Pluang reported. The fee is non-refundable, even when a report identifies a genuine vulnerability that was previously submitted by another researcher. [1][2]

The updated policy restricts guaranteed payouts for duplicate submissions compared to Firedancer spring audit contest. CryptoSlate reported that under the previous contest, eligible duplicate reports were permitted to earn rewards. Under the revised terms, later submissions are not guaranteed a standard payout, although they may still receive discretionary rewards. [1]

In an October 16 retrospective written for Jump Crypto, Ishan Bhatt explained the background for the decision. According to CryptoSlate, Bhatt partly attributed the volume of repeated vulnerability discoveries to slower review speeds, which the mandatory burn fee aims to address. [1]

Firedancer is engineered using high-speed architecture to address performance bottlenecks within the Solana network infrastructure. It permits network validators to operate a hybrid setup that combines components of the existing Agave client with Firedancer modules. This framework is intended to expand transaction capacity while lowering operational reliance on a single validator software implementation. [4]