GitHub restructures its bug bounty program following a flood of AI-generated reports

• GitHub will launch two-tier bug bounty programs (public and private) starting July 27, 2026
• The change comes in response to the increase in lower quality reports generated by AI
• VIP researchers will earn approximately 3-4 times more compared to

GitHub has confirmed plans to evolve its bug bounty program to a two-tiered system, which will take effect for reports submitted on or after July 27, 2026.

Under the new program, the Microsoft-owned coding platform will add a lower-paying public program available to the entire research community, as part of a higher-paying, invite-only program.

Catherine Cassell, product security engineer, explained that this change comes in response to a growing backlog of low-effort, low-quality, AI-generated reports.

GitHub complains about AI-generated bug reports

For the new public program, GitHub will replace the payment ranges with a single payment for each severity, ranging from $250, $2,000, $5,000, and $10,000 for low, medium, high, and critical. Cassell said this would help researchers know in advance what a valid finding might be worth, and it would also give insiders less headache having to decide where a report falls in a range.

Notably, payouts are much lower than before, with previous ranges paying $500 to $1,000, $2,000 to $5,000, $5,000 to $20,000, and $10,000 to $30,000.

VIP researchers invited under the second plan will earn approximately 3-4 times more than researchers under the other program, depending on the severity of the bugs.

GitHub is also adding a HackerOne signal requirement for new researchers, giving them four opportunities to “establish history” – likely another response to the increase in AI-generated reports, which are generally of lower value.

“We want to build a program that attracts the research we value, creates an experience that reflects the seriousness with which we take this work, and that maintains the trust that researchers place in us every time they submit a report,” Cassell concluded.

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With several years of freelance experience in technology and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technologies designed to improve our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about automobiles and the decarbonization of personal transportation. As an avid bargain hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is great value for money!