Tesla raised its reported maximum bug-bounty award to $10,000 in August 2015 after security researchers Kevin Mahaffey and Marc Rogers presented findings about the Model S at DEF CON 23. The reported demonstration began with physical access to the car; it was not a remote takeover of a moving vehicle. The $10,000 figure was a program ceiling, not a confirmed payment to either researcher.
How Tesla’s bounty changed in 2015
| Date and stage | Scope or reported terms | What the figure means |
|---|---|---|
| June 2015 launch | Tesla’s Bugcrowd-administered program covered selected company web properties. Infosecurity Magazine reported awards of $25–$1,000, with amounts varying by vulnerability category. | These were reported initial-program terms, not current verified rates. Infosecurity Magazine, June 5, 2015 |
| August 2015 increase | After the Model S findings were presented at DEF CON 23, reports said Tesla increased the maximum to $10,000 for serious vulnerabilities. | This was the maximum available for qualifying findings, not evidence of a specific award. SecurityWeek, August 10, 2015; The Register, August 9, 2015 |
The initial program’s reported category ranges included $200–$500 for cross-site scripting, $100–$500 for cross-site request forgery, $500–$1,000 for SQL vulnerabilities, $1,000 for command injection, $100–$300 for business-logic issues, $500 for horizontal privilege escalation, and $500–$1,000 for vertical privilege escalation. Infosecurity Magazine reported those figures as part of the June 2015 web-property program; they should not be read as a current Tesla rate card.
What Mahaffey and Rogers reportedly found
SecurityWeek identified the researchers as Lookout co-founder and CTO Kevin Mahaffey and Cloudflare researcher Marc Rogers, and reported six vulnerabilities. Its account said the researchers had initial physical access to the Model S and could control infotainment functions, including actions normally available through the touchscreen or mobile app: opening or closing the trunks, locking or unlocking doors, and starting or stopping the car.
The reported issues also included weaknesses involving the WebKit-based browser, outdated HTTP and DNS proxy services on the internal network, X11 display systems without access control, and weak passwords in an encrypted instrument-cluster password file. SecurityWeek said the researchers found no private keys in the firmware bundle. Those details describe the 2015 report and its access conditions; they do not establish that Mahaffey and Rogers remotely controlled a moving car.
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Why the $10,000 figure needs context
The increase followed disclosure of serious vehicle-security findings and their public presentation at DEF CON 23. The Register reported that Tesla CTO JB Straubel announced the higher maximum. SecurityWeek described awards up to that amount for serious findings such as SQL injection, command injection, and vertical privilege escalation.
- A maximum is not a personal payout. The available reporting does not establish how much, if anything, Tesla paid Mahaffey or Rogers.
- The original scope was narrower. The June launch concerned selected Tesla web properties; the Model S findings and later statements about vehicle reporting should not be collapsed into one unchanged program scope.
- The 2015 demonstration was not the later remote-attack story. Its reported starting condition was physical access and its described impact centered on vehicle infotainment and connected controls.
How Tesla reportedly responded—and what happened later
SecurityWeek reported that Tesla delivered an over-the-air update to every Model S within two weeks of notification, addressing some of the disclosed vulnerabilities. That timeline is the publication’s account of the 2015 response.
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A separate incident in 2016 involved Keen Security Lab, not the Mahaffey-Rogers DEF CON research. In a statement quoted by TechCrunch on September 20, 2016, Tesla said: “Within just 10 days of receiving this report, Tesla has already deployed an over-the-air software update (v7.1, 2.36.31) that addresses the potential security issues.” TechCrunch described conditions involving browser use and physical proximity to a malicious Wi-Fi hotspot. The 10-day claim belongs to that separate case, not the 2015 Model S fixes. TechCrunch, September 20, 2016
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to report a Tesla product-security issue today
Tesla’s product-security page, accessed October 4, 2026, directs vehicle and energy-product vulnerability reports to VulnerabilityReporting@tesla.com and describes Bugcrowd as its rewards platform. It also describes registration for pre-approved good-faith researchers and research-registered vehicles. The page does not state a current dollar maximum, so the 2015 $10,000 ceiling should not be treated as a present-day offer. Tesla Product Security
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