Vulnerabilities Microsoft Bug Bounty Program: $20 Million Paid to 500 Researchers The biggest single reward paid out by Microsoft between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, was $200,000. Eduard KovacsAugust 4, 2026
Artificial Intelligence Will AI Kill the Bug Bounty Industry? Anthropic's Mythos is accelerating vulnerability discovery to machine speed, forcing the bug bounty industry and offensive security teams to adapt to a future where... Kevin TownsendJune 9, 2026
Vulnerabilities Microsoft Paid Out $2.3 Million at Zero Day Quest 2026 Hacking Contest Researchers found more than 80 high-impact cloud and AI vulnerabilities during the event, which had a $5 million prize pool. Eduard KovacsApril 16, 2026
Artificial Intelligence OpenAI Launches Bug Bounty Program for Abuse and Safety Risks Through the new program, OpenAI will reward reports covering design or implementation issues leading to material harm. Ionut ArghireMarch 27, 2026
Vulnerabilities Google Paid Out $17 Million in Bug Bounty Rewards in 2025 Google paid over $3.7 million for Chrome vulnerabilities, and more than $3.5 million for cloud security defects. Ionut ArghireMarch 13, 2026
Vulnerabilities Microsoft Bug Bounty Program Expanded to Third-Party Code All critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft, third-party, and open source code are eligible for rewards if they impact Microsoft services. Ionut ArghireDecember 12, 2025
Vulnerabilities Meta Paid Out $4 Million via Bug Bounty Program in 2025 The total amount of money given to bug bounty hunters by the social media giant has reached $25 million. Eduard KovacsNovember 18, 2025
Vulnerabilities Google Paid Out $458,000 at Live Hacking Event Researchers submitted 107 bug reports during the bugSWAT hacking event at the ESCAL8 conference in New Mexico. Ionut ArghireNovember 12, 2025
Mobile & Wireless Apple Bug Bounty Update: Top Payout $2 Million, $35 Million Paid to Date Apple has announced significant updates to its bug bounty program, including new categories and target flags. Eduard KovacsOctober 10, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Google Offers Up to $20,000 in New AI Bug Bounty Program The company has updated the program’s scope and has combined the rewards for abuse and security issues into a single table. Ionut ArghireOctober 8, 2025
Vulnerabilities Chrome Sandbox Escape Earns Researcher $250,000 A researcher has been given the highest reward in Google’s Chrome bug bounty program for a sandbox escape with remote code execution. Eduard KovacsAugust 11, 2025
Vulnerabilities Microsoft Paid Out $17 Million in Bug Bounties in Past Year Microsoft handed out $17 million in rewards to 344 security researchers through its bug bounty programs over the past year. Ionut ArghireAugust 6, 2025
Vulnerabilities Microsoft Offers $5 Million at Zero Day Quest Hacking Contest Research demonstrating high-impact cloud and AI security flaws will be rewarded at Microsoft’s Zero Day Quest competition in spring 2026. Ionut ArghireAugust 5, 2025
Vulnerabilities Microsoft Boosts .NET Bounty Program Rewards to $40,000 Valid, complete reports detailing remote code execution or elevation of privilege bugs in .NET qualify for the maximum rewards. Ionut ArghireAugust 1, 2025
Artificial Intelligence OpenAI Offering $100K Bounties for Critical Vulnerabilities OpenAI has raised its maximum bug bounty payout to $100,000 (up from $20,000) for high-impact flaws in its infrastructure and products. Ryan NaraineMarch 26, 2025
Vulnerabilities Google Paid Out $12 Million via Bug Bounty Programs in 2024 In 2024, Google paid out nearly $12 million in bug bounties through its revamped vulnerability reward programs. Ionut ArghireMarch 10, 2025
Vulnerabilities Meta Paid Out Over $2.3 Million in Bug Bounties in 2024 Meta received close to 10,000 vulnerability reports and paid out over $2.3 million in bug bounty rewards in 2024. Ionut ArghireFebruary 14, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Microsoft Expands Copilot Bug Bounty Program, Increases Payouts Microsoft has added more Copilot consumer products to its bug bounty program and is offering higher rewards for medium-severity vulnerabilities. Ionut ArghireFebruary 10, 2025
Data Protection Microsoft DRM Hacking Raises Questions on Vulnerability Disclosures A research project into vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft’s PlayReady DRM raises some questions on responsible disclosure. Eduard KovacsJanuary 10, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Microsoft Bets $10,000 on Prompt Injection Protections of LLM Email Client Microsoft offers $10,000 in rewards to researchers who can manipulate a realistic simulated LLM-integrated email client. Ionut ArghireDecember 10, 2024