IssueHunt

IssueHunt Inc., founded in 2014 by Kazz Yokomizo and Junyoung Choi, operates as a prominent cybersecurity entity in Japan, initially starting under the name BoostIO. The firm has established itself with what it calls the largest bug bounty platform in Japan, connecting businesses with a global community of white-hat hackers to identify and remediate software vulnerabilities.

The company's business model is primarily performance-based, centering on its Bug Bounty and Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) platforms. Clients can launch a bug bounty program without initial or monthly fees, paying a 20% commission on top of the rewards paid out to security researchers for validated vulnerabilities. This pay-for-results approach offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional vulnerability assessments. The platform caters mainly to Japanese companies but is accessible globally, with support for English communication. To accommodate different client needs, IssueHunt offers public, application-only, and invitation-only programs, allowing for controlled or open vulnerability disclosure.

The VDP service provides a formal, secure channel for anyone, including users and ethical researchers, to report discovered vulnerabilities. This service is increasingly critical for companies aiming to comply with international cybersecurity standards like the PSTI Act and the EU's Cyber Resilience Act, which mandate such disclosure mechanisms. IssueHunt supports clients by managing the operational overhead, including filtering reports and providing expert triage through a dedicated professional team. Expanding its offerings, IssueHunt has also launched "Baseline," an Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) service. Baseline provides a comprehensive solution for managing product security from the codebase to the cloud, helping organizations to automate risk assessment, prioritize vulnerabilities, and integrate with development platforms like GitHub and AWS.

Originally, IssueHunt was created with a mission to support the open-source ecosystem by providing a platform for developers to earn bounties for fixing bugs and adding features to open-source projects. This foundation in the open-source community highlights the founders' commitment to creating sustainable models for software development. The company has secured multiple rounds of funding, including a Series A, from investors such as HENNGE, ANRI, and BonAngels, which has fueled its growth and service expansion.

Keywords: bug bounty, vulnerability disclosure program, VDP, cybersecurity Japan, white-hat hackers, penetration testing, application security, open source security, DevSecOps, vulnerability management, security assessment, ethical hacking, product security, ASPM, software security, cyber risk, security testing, corporate security, IT security, information security, HENNGE, Kazz Yokomizo