Bug bounty programs are big news for big money reasons. Exceptional hackers can earn exceptional bounties, with Google having paid out for vulnerabilities disclosed across 2024 and Microsoft a staggering over the lifetime of its program. Up until recently, the most you could earn for finding vulnerabilities in OpenAI was $20,000, but that has just changed. Now hackers who meet the criteria are in line for a $100,000 payday. Here’s what you need to know.
OpenAI Expands Its Security Bug Bounty Program
As part of a broader announcement detailing developments concerning OpenAI’s cybersecurity grant program and security initiatives, the AI technology behemoth has confirmed that it is also updating its successful security bug bounty program.
OpenAI describes its security bug bounty program as rewarding security researchers for responsibly identifying vulnerabilities and threats within its infrastructure and products. If you’ve seen me stating that hacking is not a crime, criminal hacking is, then this is what I mean. Hackers come in many shapes and sizes and many different colors. Some of the best are part of these bug bounty programs and earn a very healthy income without breaking the law. The latest update to the program, OpenAI said, is to better address evolving threats.
“We are significantly increasing the maximum bounty payout for exceptional and differentiated critical findings to $100,000,” , up from the previous maximum of $20,000. “This increase reflects our commitment to rewarding meaningful, high-impact security research that helps us protect users and maintain trust in our systems.”
The good news for great hackers doesn’t stop there. OpenAI has also said that to celebrate this bug bounty update it is launching a number of time-limited promotions. These include additional bounties for those researchers who submit qualifying reports within specific categories. “Each promotional category has specific, clearly defined eligibility criteria and timelines,” OpenAI said, which can be viewed on the on the Bugcrowd platform.
So, if you think you are good enough, why not explore how to join the OpenAI hackers on Bugcrowd and potentially pick yourself up a handsome $100,000 reward