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Google says it awarded more than $17 million through its vulnerability reward programs in 2025. Its annual infographic gives the precise total as $17.1 million and counts 747 researchers paid—both all-time highs, according to the company.
How much did Google pay bug bounty researchers in 2025?
Google’s annual review, published March 31, 2026, reports more than $17 million in 2025 rewards. The accompanying infographic specifies $17.1 million. Google describes the total as an all-time high and says it was more than 40% higher than in 2024. Google’s 2025 review names Dirk Göhmann and Tony Mendez as its authors.
The infographic also reports a $250,000 highest reward and $81.6 million in cumulative rewards since 2010. The $250,000 figure is the largest award shown, not a typical payout or a guaranteed amount for reporting a vulnerability.
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How does the 2025 payout compare with 2024?
Google’s 2024 review, published March 7, 2025, said the company awarded just shy of $12 million to more than 600 researchers. For 2025, Google characterizes the increase as “more than 40%” rather than publishing a more exact comparison. The figures below are Google’s reported totals, not independently audited measurements.
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| Year | Annual rewards | Researchers paid | Source wording |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Just shy of $12 million | Over 600 | Google’s annual review |
| 2025 | Over $17 million; $17.1 million in the infographic | 747 in the infographic | Google says rewards rose more than 40% over 2024 |
Google’s 2024 figures come from its 2024 vulnerability reward programs review. The larger 2025 total shows the scale of rewards distributed, but it does not establish what an individual researcher typically earned or measure the programs’ effectiveness.
What changed in Google’s reward programs in 2025?
Google’s programs let external security researchers report vulnerabilities in its products and services in exchange for possible rewards. In 2025, the company highlighted changes to the range of programs and ways researchers could participate.
A dedicated AI Vulnerability Reward Program
Google moved AI-related reports out of its Abuse VRP and into a dedicated AI Vulnerability Reward Program. It says the new program introduced rule changes intended to make scope and rewards clearer. Google also added reward categories for issues affecting Chrome AI features.
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Rewards for open-source scanner plugins
Google launched a patch rewards program for novel OSV-SCALIBR plugins. The plugins extend the open-source dependency scanner’s ability to detect inventory, vulnerabilities, or secrets.
Live hacking events
Google’s review reports the following event rewards:
| Event | Reported rewards |
|---|---|
| AI bugSWAT, Tokyo, April | Over $400,000 |
| Cloud bugSWAT, Sunnyvale, June | $1.6 million |
| bugSWAT Las Vegas, August | $380,000 |
| bugSWAT Mexico, alongside ESCAL8 | $566,000 “to date” |
The Mexico City amount is expressly reported “to date.” Google presents these as event figures; it does not establish them as separate amounts to add on top of the annual total.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the headline figures do—and do not—show
- 747 is the number of researchers paid. It does not mean that every report received a reward.
- $17.1 million is an aggregate payout. The review does not provide a complete, comparable breakdown of awards across every individual program, so it cannot show which program accounted for the largest share.
- The $250,000 maximum is not representative of a usual award. Google’s aggregate figures do not establish typical researcher earnings.
- The total reflects a program family that has expanded since 2010. Google says 2025 marked the 15th anniversary of its vulnerability reward programs.
Google describes the programs as having “constant additions and expansions” since they began in 2010, and says external researchers are essential to their operation. Its Bug Hunters site provides current program rules and reporting paths. Because scope, eligibility, and rewards can change, consult those live rules before submitting a report; the annual recap is not a participation guide.
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