GitHub will halve its public bug bounty payouts starting July 27, 2026, replacing flexible reward ranges with fixed payments while reserving its highest payouts for an invite-only VIP tier. The change comes as AI-driven security research increases report volume and noise, with GitHub, Google, and curl all adjusting to faster automated finding, validation, and triage workflows. #GitHub #HackerOne #Gemini35FlashCyber #curl #CodeMender
Keypoints
- GitHub will cut public bug bounty payouts by at least half on July 27, 2026.
- Critical public reports will drop to a fixed $10,000, while VIP rewards can reach $30,000 or more.
- Existing reports submitted before the cutoff will keep the old payout terms.
- GitHub says the new model is meant to reduce noise and reward higher-quality research.
- AI tools are increasing report volume, pushing vendors to tighten triage and prioritize validated findings.
Read More: https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/github-cuts-public-bug-bounty-payouts.html