Google pays over $17 million to bug hunters in 2025

Google disbursed more than $17 million in bug bounty rewards during 2025. The year marked a significant period for the company's security payout program. This initiative encourages ethical hackers to identify vulnerabilities in Google's systems.

In 2025, Google allocated over $17 million to compensate bug hunters participating in its bounty program. This substantial payout underscores the company's ongoing commitment to enhancing cybersecurity through crowdsourced efforts.

The bug bounty initiative, which rewards individuals for discovering and reporting security flaws, saw heightened activity throughout the year. According to reports, 2025 stood out as a particularly robust period for these payouts, reflecting increased engagement from the security research community.

Google's program has long been a cornerstone of its approach to proactive vulnerability management. By incentivizing external experts, the company aims to fortify its products and services against potential threats. The total rewards distributed in 2025 highlight the scale of contributions from these hunters, though specific details on individual finds or recipients remain undisclosed in available information.

This development aligns with broader trends in the tech industry, where major firms increasingly rely on such programs to stay ahead of evolving cyber risks.

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Illustration depicting Google and Epic executives shaking hands to celebrate antitrust settlement and Fortnite's return to Google Play Store.
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Google and Epic settle antitrust case with Fortnite's return to Play Store

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Google has reached a settlement with Epic Games to resolve their long-running antitrust dispute, paving the way for Fortnite's return to the Google Play Store worldwide. The agreement includes reduced fees for developers and support for third-party app stores on Android. Changes are set to roll out starting in June in select regions.

Microsoft is broadening its bug bounty programs to include incentives even for those without official payouts. The company has introduced a new 'In Scope by Default' approach to encourage security research.

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The Linux Foundation has secured $12.5 million in grants from AI companies to bolster open source software security. The funding addresses maintainers overwhelmed by AI-generated vulnerability reports. It will be managed by Alpha-Omega and the Open Source Security Foundation.

A TechRadar report states that over 29 million secrets were leaked on GitHub in 2025. The article suggests that AI is not helping and may be making the situation worse.

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Google will discontinue its free dark web monitoring tool early next year, ending notifications about personal data leaks. The service, which alerts users to appearances of their name, email, or phone number on the dark web, will stop monitoring new results on January 15, 2026. Access to existing reports will be removed on February 16, 2026.

The Chainalysis 2026 Crypto Crime Report, published January 13, 2026, reveals at least $14 billion stolen in 2025 scams—projected to reach $17 billion—driven by a 1,400% surge in AI-boosted impersonation tactics, amid broader losses including $4 billion from hacks per PeckShield and $154 billion in total illicit volumes linked to nation-state actors.

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South Korean e-commerce leader Coupang has finalized a nearly $1.2 billion settlement (1.68 trillion won) to compensate 33.7 million users hit by its November 2025 data breach. While following last week's voucher plan announcement, the terms have faced backlash from stakeholders who argue they fall short of addressing the damages.

 

 

 

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