Google Paid Out $17 Million in Bug Bounty Rewards in 2025
Google distributed $17.1 million in bug bounty rewards in 2025, a 40% increase from 2024, bringing its 15-year total to $81.6 million across over 700 security researchers.
Legal protection for ethical hacking is only the first step
The UK is reforming the Computer Misuse Act to protect legitimate cybersecurity research and address modern cybercrime and state-sponsored digital attacks.