12-Year-Old’s Firefox Security Flaw Discovery Nets $US3,000 Payday

At 12 years old, I successfully conquered a pile of dirt when I moved it from one side of my yard to the other. Alex Miller, currently 12, conquered a difficult Firefox security flaw, earning $US3,000 in the process.

The reward was part of a security challenge levied against developers by the Mozilla Foundation. Find a flaw, they said, and $US3,000 was yours for the taking.

Miller, who lives in San Jose, spent a reported 90 mins a day looking for flaws. After 10 days of searching, he found one, and reported it to Mozilla. Brilliant stuff. [CNET]