OpenAI expands incentives for security researchers

OpenAI quadruples bug bounty payouts and launches new internal security sprint. Critical vulnerabilities in core products like ChatGPT or Codex now earn outside researchers up to $30,000, the company announced. Exceptional findings can net up to $100,000, and with quality, loyalty, and campaign bonuses, the total can reach roughly $172,000.

That puts OpenAI in the same ballpark as Google's general vulnerability rewards program, though still below the top-tier payouts Apple or Microsoft offer for OS-level exploits. New additions include a five-tier loyalty program and time-limited campaigns with boosted payouts tied to new feature launches. Anyone who reported a vulnerability in the last 30 days will get the difference between the old and new rates retroactively.

Alongside the bounty overhaul, OpenAI is preparing a security sprint where the security firm Cathedral will team up with OpenAI's own engineers to stress-test its systems. During the last sprint, 25 percent of OpenAI's product engineers worked on finding vulnerabilities, according to the company.