United Airlines has awarded millions of frequent flier miles to hackers who have discovered vulnerabilities in the company's web security.

The carrier paid out two awards this week worth 1 million miles each. Jordan Wiens, a researcher focused on cyber vulnerabilities, was one of the recipients, reports Reuters. Wiens revealed a flaw that could have allowed hackers to seize control of one of the airline's websites.

In a first for the US airline industry, United publicized its new program in May that would offer "bug bounties" for anyone who could uncover cyber risks.

"We believe that this program will further bolster our security and allow us to continue to provide excellent," said the company on its website, where they listed rules for bug bounty hunters.

(READ more from Reuters)