"They will ruin my life": Microsoft threatens cybersec researchers - Windows Central

Microsoft is threatening cybersecurity researchers who discover and report security vulnerabilities in its products, according to a Windows Central report. The company's bug bounty program, which is supposed to reward ethical hackers for reporting exploits, often fails to pay out as documented. Researchers face legal threats from Microsoft instead of receiving compensation for their work. The report highlights a pattern where Microsoft responds to vulnerability disclosures with hostility rather than cooperation. This behavior undermines trust between the tech giant and the security research community. The situation is particularly concerning given that Russian-backed hackers breached Microsoft's 365 layer last year, compromising U.S. government accounts.