Skip to main content Tech Radar Pro Tech Radar Gaming Tech Radar Pro TechRadar the business technology experts Search TechRadar View Profile België (Nederlands) Deutschland North America US (English) Australasia New Zealand Expert Insights Website builders Web hosting Best web hosting Best website builder Best office chairs Expert Insights OpenAI is upping its bug bounty rewards as security worries rise Ellen Jennings-Trace 27 March 2025 Security researchers could earn up to five times more spotting OpenAI issues When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Shutterstock/PatrickAssale) OpenAI is increasing its bug bounty payouts Spotting high-impact vulnerabilities could net researchers $100k The move comes as more AI agents and systems are developed OpenAI is hoping to encourage security researchers to identify security vulnerabilities by increasing its rewards for spotting bugs. The AI giant has revealed it is upping its Security Bug Bounty program from $20k to $100k, and is widening the scope of its Cybersecurity Grant program, as well as developing new tools to protect AI agents from malicious threats. This follows recent warnings AI agents can be hijacked to write and send phishing attacks, and the company is keen to outline its “commitment to rewarding meaningful, high-impact security research that helps us protect users and maintain trust in our systems.” Disrupting threats Since the Cybersecurity Grant Program was launched in 2023, OpenAI has reviewed thousands of applications and even funded 28 research initiatives, helping the firm gain valuable insights into security subjects like autonomous cybersecurity defenses, prompt injections, and secure code generation. OpenAI says it continually monitors malicious actors looking to exploit its systems, and identifies and disrupts targeted campaigns. “We don’t just defend ourselves,” the company said, “we share tradecraft with other AI labs to strengthen our collective defenses. By sharing these emerging risks and collaborating across industry and government, we help ensure AI technologies are developed and deployed securely.” OpenAI is not the only company to increase its rewards program, with Google announcing in 2024 a five factor rise in bug bounty rewards, arguing that more secure products make finding bugs more difficult, which is reflected in the higher compensations. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. With more advanced models and agents, and more users and developments, there are inevitably more points of vulnerability that could be exploited, so the relationship between researchers and software developers is more important than ever. “We are engaging researchers and practitioners throughout the cybersecurity community,” Open AI confirmed. “This allows us to leverage the latest thinking and share our findings with those working toward a more secure digital world. To train our models, we partner with experts across academic, government, and commercial labs to benchmark skills gaps and obtain structured examples of advanced reasoning across cybersecurity domains.” Via CyberNews You might also like New tech skills projects aim to boost UK cyber defenses Check out our choice for the best antivirus software "I have nothing to hide" - our readers react to Apple getting secret hearing in appeal against UK government Ellen Jennings-Trace Social Links Navigation Staff Writer Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content. 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