Android app bug hunting will no longer result in bounties

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The GPSRP program has been around since 2017 to encourage security researchers to find and report vulnerabilities in popular Android apps on the Play Store. If they find vulnerabilities in popular applications on the Google Play Store, white hat hackers can receive bonuses of up to 30,000 USD.

The reason Google made this decision is because the number of reported serious vulnerabilities has decreased significantly. This shows the effectiveness of efforts to improve Android operating system security and related features.

Vulnerability data from the GPSRP program has helped Google build automated scanning tools, helping more than 300,000 developers fix more than 1 million applications, making an important contribution to improving security on the Play Store.

The end of Google's bug bounty program also raises some concerns because it could reduce the incentive for security experts to proactively find and report vulnerabilities.

This is a positive signal for Android users, showing progress in securing major applications on the Google Play store. However, it also poses new challenges in maintaining and further improving the safety level of this platform.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 20 August 2024