How TI Turned Security Researchers into Their Strongest Product Advocates
A security bounty program that built a thriving researcher community and measurably improved product resilience for Texas Instruments.
Texas Instruments faced a growing threat landscape across their embedded processor ecosystem. They needed a way to proactively identify vulnerabilities before bad actors could exploit them. But the security research community viewed large semiconductor companies with skepticism, and TI lacked the program infrastructure and community trust required to attract top-tier researchers.
Signet Science architected a comprehensive bounty program from strategy through execution. We designed tiered incentive structures, clear disclosure policies, and a researcher portal that made participation frictionless. Our communication framework established TI as a transparent and researcher-friendly organization. We also built advocacy tiers that rewarded sustained contributions, transforming one-time finders into long-term community members.
Within 18 months, the program attracted 350+ registered security researchers who submitted over 120 validated vulnerability reports. Critical-severity patch time dropped by 40%, and TI saw a 58% increase in positive sentiment within the security community. The program became self-sustaining, with researchers actively referring peers and TI citing it as a competitive differentiator in enterprise sales conversations.