Google spent Rs. 46 crore in bug bounties last year
As part of its Vulnerability Reward Programs (VRPs), Google paid out a whopping $6.5 million (over Rs. 46 crore) to security researchers for finding bugs in the company's products and services in 2019, the technology giant recently said. Interestingly, this amount is almost double the $3.4 million bug bounty Google gave out in 2018.
Here's a break up of the bounty reward for 2019
Of the total amount spent, $2.1 million was paid from the Google program, $1.9 million from Android Security Rewards, $1 million from Chrome VRP, and $800,000 from the Google Play Security Reward Program. A total of 461 researchers were paid and the biggest single reward was $201,000. Google also gave away an all-time high of $507,000 in donations to charity during 2019.
Here's what Google said in its security blog
"Our VRPs were created to reward researchers for protecting users by telling us about the security bugs they find. Their discoveries help keep our users, and the internet at large, safe. We look forward to even more collaboration in 2020 and beyond," Google said.
Since 2010, the company has spend $21 million in VRPs
Google's Vulnerability Reward Programs (VRPs), designed to reward researchers for finding and reporting bugs and flaws that Google might have missed, have been active since 2010. Over the past decade, the initiative has expanded to cover Chrome, Android, and popular third-party apps on Google Play. And since 2010, the company has paid out more than $21 million in rewards.
Other technology companies also run attractive bug bounty programs
Meanwhile, Google isn't the only technology company that runs attractive bug bounty programs. Apple, as part of its VRPs, offers single payouts of up to $1 million. Likewise, Tesla gives out attractive cash prizes and cars to anyone who can crack its vehicle security system.
