Open-source bug bounty programs let researchers report security vulnerabilities in assets named by a project’s policy; eligible reports may earn recognition or payment. There is no universal eligibility standard, and a valid security report does not guarantee a bounty. Before testing, check the affected project’s SECURITY.md or official program policy for scope, rules and the private reporting route.
How do open-source bug bounty programs work?
A project publishes rules describing which repositories, products or services researchers may test, how to report vulnerabilities, and whether qualifying reports can receive rewards. The project’s policy—not the fact that its code is open source—sets the terms. Policies can differ and change, so use the current instructions for the specific asset you are assessing.
A disclosure policy and a bounty offer are separate things. A project may accept and fix a security report without paying for it; a bounty program may offer rewards only for findings that meet its scope, eligibility and participation conditions. HackerOne’s Vulnerability Disclosure Guidelines say that not all security teams offer monetary rewards and that reward decisions are discretionary. The individual program’s policy may supersede HackerOne’s general guidance where the two conflict.
For example, GitHub says vulnerabilities in GitHub-owned open-source repositories are outside its bug bounty scope, but it will pass findings to the appropriate maintainers for remediation. Its repository policy directs researchers to coordinated disclosure rather than public issues, discussions or pull requests. That is GitHub’s policy, not a promise that every open-source project will handle reports the same way.
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What makes a bug bounty report eligible?
The program owner decides under its own written policy. A useful first-pass assessment asks whether the target is in scope, the behavior creates a concrete security impact, the testing method was allowed, and the report provides enough evidence for validation. Payment also depends on the program’s reward terms and researcher requirements.
- Right target: Is the affected repository, product, service or domain explicitly in scope? A project link or apparent ownership does not automatically make an asset eligible.
- Security impact: Does the behavior cross a security boundary or violate a security expectation, such as authorization, confidentiality or integrity? A usability, reliability or input-validation defect without demonstrated security impact may be a product bug rather than a bounty finding.
- Demonstrated attacker outcome: Do reproducible steps show what an attacker could actually do, rather than only that code ran or a screen behaved unexpectedly?
- Allowed testing: Did the test comply with the program’s restrictions and avoid risks to users or systems? Policies may prohibit denial-of-service testing, social engineering, destructive activity or testing assets not named in scope.
- Useful private report: Was the issue sent through the required channel with enough detail to validate, while respecting confidentiality and privacy rules?
- Reward conditions: Does the program offer a reward for this asset and finding type, and does the researcher meet its participation and payment requirements?
GitHub’s ineligible-submissions guidance illustrates how one program draws the line: intended functionality alone, or a scenario that requires a victim to run attacker-supplied commands, can make a report ineligible under GitHub’s rules. These examples are specific to GitHub; another project may assess similar behavior differently.
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Where do I report a security vulnerability in an open-source project?
Start with the affected repository’s SECURITY.md, security page or linked bounty-platform policy. Confirm the policy applies to the particular version, component and asset, then use its stated private channel. Do not put an unpatched vulnerability or proof of concept in a public issue, discussion or pull request unless the project’s policy permits it or the project agrees to publication.
GitHub’s repository security policy gives a concrete example of what to include: vulnerability type, full source paths, affected tag, branch or commit (or a direct source location), special configuration, reproduction steps, a proof of concept if possible, and the impact or likely exploitation. HackerOne’s general disclosure guidance likewise calls for a detailed description and clear, concise reproduction steps or a working proof of concept, and says not to include third-party personal information. The project’s own instructions take priority.
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How to report safely, step by step
- Identify the finding precisely. Record the project, repository, affected version or commit, and component or file path.
- Locate the policy. Read the project’s
SECURITY.md, security page or program listing. Verify that it is current and that the affected asset is explicitly in scope. - Check the terms before probing. Review exclusions, permitted testing, safe-harbor language, disclosure rules, reward conditions and participant restrictions.
- Stay within authorization. Follow the program’s limits, use accounts and data you control where required, and stop if further testing could affect other users or service availability.
- Prepare one focused report. Describe the issue, affected location and version, prerequisites and configuration, exact reproduction steps, a useful proof of concept, and the attack scenario and concrete impact. State relevant limitations.
- Submit privately and follow up. Use the designated channel, answer triage questions, and follow the policy’s disclosure process. Keep a copy of the terms that applied when you submitted, since scope and conditions can change.
How to compare a disclosure policy with a bounty program
Before investing time in a finding, compare the program’s actual terms rather than assuming all projects use the same model.
| What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Disclosure-only or bounty | Establishes whether the project accepts reports and whether it offers money at all. |
| Scope and exclusions | Identifies eligible repositories, products and services, along with excluded assets. |
| Eligible impact | Explains what security boundary or attacker outcome qualifies, and how the program treats product bugs, theoretical findings and duplicates. |
| Testing rules and safe harbor | Defines allowed methods, prohibited tests and authorization limits; check what protections apply and whether they can bind third parties. |
| Reward and participation terms | Shows any published severity rubric or payment range, whether rewards are discretionary, and what researcher or payment conditions apply. |
| Reporting and disclosure process | Sets the submission channel, evidence requirements, confidentiality expectations, response process and when public disclosure is allowed. |
Terms can be highly project-specific. Kernel’s Bug Bounty Program: Scope and Policy, version 1.0, last updated July 31, 2026, identifies its program as private and invite-only and sets its own reward range and operational terms. Those terms do not apply to other projects.
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What maintainers say about reviewing reports
A 2024 study by Jessy Ayala, Steven Ngo and Joshua Garcia examined open-source maintainers’ experiences with bounty reports using a listing survey of 51 participants, a ranked survey of 90 participants and interviews with 17 participants. The authors report that private disclosure and project visibility were important benefits, while money or CVE focus and pressure to review reports were challenges. These sample sizes describe the study, not all open-source maintainers. Read the paper.
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