electronically inviting, using a Launch Point computer, a distributed plurality of researcher computers to identify computer vulnerabilities of one or more third party computer networks;

monitoring, using the Launch Point computer, communications between a particular researcher computer among the distributed plurality of researcher computers and a particular third party computer network among the one or more third party computer networks,

wherein the communications relate to identifying a security vulnerability of the particular third party computer network and the communications include electronic communications;

receiving, from the particular researcher computer, a report regarding security vulnerabilities of the particular third party computer network;

evaluating the report based on the monitored communications.

installing a software update on the particular third party computer network, or

updating system configuration data for the third party computer network.

reconfiguring a network topology of the third party computer network, or

reconfiguring an automatic attack detection system within the third party computer network.

wherein the report includes an executed questionnaire,

wherein the evaluating comprises comparing the report against a database of existing reports including other executed questionnaires and determining whether the security vulnerabilities have been previously reported.

delivering a result of evaluating to a client computer over a communication network,

wherein the report identifies one or more computer vulnerabilities of the third party computer network.

receiving status information regarding one of the one identified computer vulnerability from the client computer,

wherein the status information indicates whether the one computer vulnerability has been addressed.

performing an initial assessment of the one or more third party computer networks,

wherein the electronically inviting is based on a result of the performing.

generating, using an automated scanning system, baseline vulnerability data regarding one or more networks or computers communicatively coupled to the automatic scanning system;

electronically distributing, using a Launch Point computer, the baseline vulnerability data to a plurality of researcher computers over one or more communication networks,

wherein the researcher computers validate the vulnerability data against the one or more networks or computers;

receiving, from the researcher computers, feedback on validity of the vulnerability data;

updating the automated system based on the received feedback.

using a Launch Point computer, assessing a plurality of researchers as a precondition for receiving an invitation to be a researcher of a distributed plurality of researchers, resulting in forming the distributed plurality of researchers in which each researcher is associated in digitally stored data records with one or more tags that identify the researcher for one or more attributes;

using the Launch Point computer, electronically inviting a subset of the distributed plurality of researchers to participate in one or more computer vulnerability research projects directed to identifying computer vulnerabilities of one or more third party computers that are owned or operated by a third party, the subset of the distributed plurality of researchers selected based on the one or more tags in records that identify the researcher and a description of the computer vulnerabilities of the one or more third party computers;

using the Launch Point computer that is communicatively coupled to a particular researcher among the subset of the distributed plurality of researchers and a particular third party computer under test among the one or more third party computers, monitoring communications between the particular researcher and the particular third party computer under test, wherein the communications relate to attempting to identify a candidate security vulnerability of the particular third party computer under test and the communications include electronic communications;

in response to a report of the candidate security vulnerability of the particular third party computer that is received from the particular researcher, evaluating the report of the candidate security vulnerability based upon the candidate security vulnerability identified in the report by the particular researcher in the report and the monitored communications between the particular researcher and the particular third party computer under test.