  To keep up with the growing number of cyber-attacks and associated threats,
there is an ever-increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals and new
methods and technologies. Training new cybersecurity professionals is a
challenging task due to the broad scope of the area. One particular field where
there is a shortage of experts is Ethical Hacking. Due to its complexity, it
often faces educational constraints. Recognizing these challenges, we propose a
solution: integrating a real-world bug bounty programme into cybersecurity
curriculum. This innovative approach aims to fill the gap in practical
cybersecurity education and also brings additional positive benefits. To
evaluate our idea, we include the proposed solution to a secure coding course
for IT-oriented faculty. We let students choose to participate in a bug bounty
programme as an option for the semester assignment in a secure coding course.
We then collected responses from the students to evaluate the outcomes
(improved skills, reported vulnerabilities, a better relationship with
security, etc.). Evaluation of the assignment showed that students enjoyed
solving such real-world problems, could find real vulnerabilities, and that it
helped raise their skills and cybersecurity awareness. Participation in real
bug bounty programmes also positively affects the security level of the tested
products. We also discuss the potential risks of this approach and how to
mitigate them.
