Google paid over $17 million to bug hunters in 2025
- Google paid security researchers 40% more in 2025 than in 2024
- New AI vulnerabilities addressed as threats emerge
- Major events accounted for around 20% of payments
Google paid $17.1 million in bug bounties in 2025, the highest amount ever paid in a single year, a 40% increase from the $11.8 million it coughed up in 2024.
However, despite such an increase in monetary value, the company has only paid 13% more researchers (a total of 747 in 2025), suggesting that vulnerability detection is becoming much more lucrative.
The company also boasted that it has paid out $81.6 million in VRP payments since the program launched in 2010.
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Google’s VRP becomes more and more lucrative
Some of the largest product areas included Android and Google Devices ($2.9 million), Chrome ($3.7 million), and Google Cloud ($3.57 million).
Google also launched its dedicated AI VRP last year to focus on risks such as rapid injection, data exfiltration and malicious behavior – this one paid $350,000, bringing total AI-related payments to $890,000. To recognize potential AI-related risks, the company has also added new reward categories for AI-related vulnerabilities in Chrome.
The AI VRP only launched in October 2025, with Google “recognizing that securing generative AI products requires specialized research separate from traditional vulnerabilities.” A single AI bugSWAT event generated 70 valid reports, totaling $400,000 in payments.
Other events held in Sunnyvale, Las Vegas and Mexico City generated nearly $3 million in payouts, representing about 20% of total bounties paid in 2025, making them hot destinations for security researchers.
“Our focus remains on staying ahead of emerging threats, adapting to evolving technologies, and continuing to strengthen the security of Google’s products and services,” the company wrote in a blog post, thanking those who have helped secure its products thus far.
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