If you uncover a truly novel exploitation technique that affects the recently released Windows 8.1 Preview, Microsoft will pay you up to 100,000 USD – that is a direct cash payment, mind you.

The big news this week for Windows 8 fans and testers is that Microsoft rolled out Windows 8.1 Preview. This free update for Windows 8 comes with the ability to sync customizations, apps and files across all your devices, a completely redesigned Windows Store, a preview version of Internet Explorer 11 (IE11), and more. I’ve already posted an article about Windows 8.1 Preview, so if you want to learn more, follow this link.

The big news this week for security experts and the security researcher community is that Microsoft rolled out three new bounty programs. Big money can be made via these new programs. For example, if a security expert were to uncover a truly novel exploitation technique that bypasses the protections built into the aforementioned Windows 8.1 Preview, that expert could get up to $100,000 in cash from Microsoft.

On June 26, the following three new bounty programs were launched:

• Mitigation Bypass Bounty – up to $100,000 USD for truly novel exploitation techniques against protections built into the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system (Windows 8.1 Preview).
• Blue Hat Bonus for Defense – up to $50,000 USD for defensive ideas that accompany a qualifying Mitigation Bypass submission.
• Internet Explorer 11 Preview Bug Bounty – up to $11,000 USD for critical vulnerabilities that affect Internet Explorer 11 Preview. I remind you that IE11 Preview is included with Windows 8.1 Preview.

If you’re a security expert or a hacker and you want to make some money by helping Microsoft make its products safer, you’ll want some more details on the new bounty programs presented above.

You’ll find more info on them here and here.