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Microsoft will now pay up to $250,000 for Windows 10 security bugs

Microsoft will now pay up to $250,000 for Windows 10 security bugs

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Microsoft is launching a new Windows Bounty Program today, designed to expand its existing security bug bounty programs. While the software giant has previously paid out $100,000 for Windows 8.1 bugs, this new program will see the software giant pay out far more for serious Hyper-V flaws in Windows 10 or Windows Server operating systems.

Microsoft will now pay up to $250,000 for severe Hyper-V vulnerabilities, and security bugs in Microsoft Edge or Windows 10 preview builds will fetch up to $15,000. “Security is always changing and we prioritize different types of vulnerabilities at different points in time,” explains a Microsoft spokesperson in a blog post. “Microsoft strongly believes in the value of the bug bounties, and we trust that it serves to enhance our security capabilities.”

The new Windows Bounty Program launches today, and will continue indefinitely at Microsoft’s discretion. Any critical or important flaws that affect Windows and a variety of individual features will receive a bounty. Facebook, Google, Apple, Uber, and a variety of other tech companies all offer bug bounties, and they’re designed to tempt researchers into disclosing vulnerabilities early to prevent widespread cyber attacks.