--- title: "GitHub scales back bug bounties, reminds users security is their responsibility too" url: https://daily.dev/posts/github-scales-back-bug-bounties-reminds-users-security-is-their-responsibility-too-5yjehso1r source_url: https://www.csoonline.com/article/4173224/github-scales-back-bug-bounties-reminds-users-security-is-their-responsibility-too.html type: article source: "CSO Online" published: 2026-05-19T15:33:17.482Z updated: 2026-05-19T15:33:42.083Z tags: ["security", "github"] reading_time: 5 upvotes: 1 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # GitHub scales back bug bounties, reminds users security is their responsibility too **[CSO Online](https://daily.dev/sources/csoonline)** · 5 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary GitHub is scaling back its bug bounty program by replacing cash rewards with swag for low-impact reports, citing a surge in AI-generated, low-quality submissions over the past year. The platform clarified that reports describing scenarios where users voluntarily interact with malicious content don't represent GitHub security failures. GitHub still welcomes AI-assisted research but requires human review before submission. The trend is industry-wide: Curl eliminated its bounty program, HackerOne paused payouts, Google restricted its OSS vulnerability rewards, and Linus Torvalds flagged the Linux kernel security list as nearly unmanageable due to AI-generated duplicate reports. Analysts warn the shift from cash to swag could shrink the pipeline of new security researchers, while benefiting experienced ones through faster triage and payouts. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [GitHub will start paying some bug bounty hunters in swag instead of cash](https://daily.dev/posts/github-will-start-paying-some-bug-bounty-hunters-in-swag-instead-of-cash-aa2efuue8) · The New Stack · 0 upvotes · 1 comments - [Raising the bar: Quality, shared responsibility, and the future of GitHub’s bug bounty program](https://daily.dev/posts/raising-the-bar-quality-shared-responsibility-and-the-future-of-github-s-bug-bounty-program-m0j1ssnbp) · GitHub Blog · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Bug bounty isn’t dead, but the old model is breaking](https://daily.dev/posts/bug-bounty-isn-t-dead-but-the-old-model-is-breaking-wbwl54kmh) · Aikido Security · 1 upvotes · 1 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#github](https://daily.dev/tags/github) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/github-scales-back-bug-bounties-reminds-users-security-is-their-responsibility-too-5yjehso1r)