Google froze its open source bug bounty program due to a ‘significant rise’ in AI submissions

In posts on X and the program website, Google said the bug bounty program was paused as of October 1, with a promise to provide “an update” in the first quarter of 2027. According to Tom’s Hardware, Google engineers and open source maintainers were overwhelmed by reports that were invalid or contained hallucinations.

“This pause is due to a significant rise in automated submissions, the vast majority of which are not valid,” the company said.

In the meantime, participants are encouraged to consider Google’s other bug bounty programs.