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Google has updated its vulnerability rewards program and is now offering up to US$1.5 million for researchers who find critical flaws in Android’s Titan M2 chip. The change was motivated by the advancement of artificial intelligence.
Google’s digital security strategy has just undergone a significant change with the aim of confronting the threats of the era of artificial intelligence, as reported by TecMundo. The company updated its Vulnerability Reward Programs (VRPs), establishing a new payment ceiling that can reach US$1.5 million — approximately R$7.5 million in direct conversion — for researchers who detect serious security flaws in Android and Chrome.
The focus is now on identifying “high-impact” vulnerabilities that pose real dangers to users and are immune to automated detection tools.
With this restructuring, the Mountain View company seeks to attract more technical, objective security reports that already include suggestions for correction.
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The idea is for human knowledge to be directed towards the most complex problems, while automation handles the basics.
New guidelines for Android bug hunters
To optimize the security of its systems, Google has decided to change its internal priorities for Android.
From now on, the company will reduce its focus on vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel and concentrate its resources on the components it develops and maintains itself.
This change requires experts to submit high-quality reports. The company now prioritizes documents that present:
- Concrete evidence: Unquestionable technical demonstration that the bug exists in the system.
- Objectivity: Concise and to-the-point texts, avoiding information irrelevant to the analysis.
- Technical responses: Specific suggestions for updates that can resolve the identified problem.
- Focus on Chrome: Rewards of up to US$250,000 (R$1.2 million) for flaws discovered in the browser on modern systems.
Million-dollar rewards: Google’s updated values
The payment table reflects the level of difficulty imposed on security researchers.
The highest values are reserved for intrusions that occur without the need for any action or consent from the victim, directly affecting the protection hardware.
At the top of the awards list are:
- US$1.5 million (R$7.4 million): Paid to those who find long-term (persistent) vulnerabilities in the Pixel Titan M2 security chip.
- US$750,000 (R$3.7 million): Reserved for similar flaws in the Pixel Titan M2, but without system persistence.
- Specific reductions: On the other hand, the company decided to reduce bonuses and rewards for reports in specific situations within Chrome and Android systems.
The role of artificial intelligence in Google’s security
The program’s reformulation was motivated by the fact that artificial intelligence can now detect and suggest adjustments for less rare code execution vulnerabilities.
Because of this, several categories that were previously rewarded have been removed or lost their urgency for Google. In this way, the company encourages the technology community to seek what is “most challenging”.
While AI handles what is repetitive, the human brain is rewarded with millions to protect the Titan chip and the data privacy of billions of people around the world.
Source: TecMundo
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