Oculus VR's virtual reality headset Oculus Rift is still in the works, but it's already so hugely popular that Facebook has already included the headset into its bug bounty program.
Facebook, which snapped up the start-up for $2 billion, already offers anybody who discovers vulnerabilities in its other properties, including the Facebook website itself, Instagram and the Moves fitness app. This time, Facebook announced it is also offering a minimum of $500 to anyone who catches bugs in Oculus Rift's software code as well as problems with the headset's software development kit, which early enthusiasts can pick up for $350, and the Oculus website.
There is no limit to how much Facebook will pay anyone who discovers issues with Oculus. The payment depends on how severe the threat poses. Last year, Facebook was said to have paid up to $1.5 million for those who discovered bugs in Facebook properties.
"A lot of the issues that come up with Oculus are not necessarily in the hardware yet," says Neal Poole, security engineer at Facebook. "Potentially in the future, if people were to go explore and find issues in the SDK or the hardware, that is definitely of interest to us."
Most of the problems with Oculus, as Poole says, are located in the Oculus website, particularly in its messaging system for developers. However, if the headset goes mainstream and becomes part of every household as its creator Palmer Luckey hopes it will be, there is no denying that security will also become a major issue with the headset itself, which is going to be Facebook's first hardware product set to become part of everyday life.
And though Oculus has yet to introduce a consumer version of its virtual reality headset, many have already dreamed up its various applications. Engineers at Netflix, for one, have created a custom platform where users can view the latest blockbusters in virtual reality using Oculus Rift. The platform, dubbed Oculix, allows users to browse through Netflix's library of movies simply by moving their heads around and using gestures controls to scroll up, down and from side to side.
But while Oculix could be the precursor to watching our favorite movies in full virtual reality, Netflix was quick to say that it was created in the spirit of creative brainstorming at its annual Hack Day, which means we may not actually see it as a commercial product at all.
"We should note that, while we think these hacks are very cool and fun, they may never become part of the Netflix product, internal infrastructure, or otherwise be used beyond Hack Day," Netflix says.
