Get $30K from Microsoft for identifying bugs in AI.

In a groundbreaking move, Microsoft has announced a lucrative opportunity for security researchers, developers, and ethical hackers around the globe: the AI Bug Bounty Program. Participants can get $30K from Microsoft by identifying vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s AI systems and products. With the rapid deployment of AI technologies, ensuring their safety, reliability, and fairness has become crucial. Microsoft’s initiative highlights the tech giant’s commitment to advancing AI responsibly.

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Eligibility Requirements for Microsoft’s AI Bounty

To participate in Microsoft’s AI Bug Bounty Program, individuals must meet specific eligibility requirements:

• Must be 18 years or older.
• Cannot be a resident of U.S. sanctioned countries like North Korea, Syria, or Iran.
• Must not be a Microsoft employee or contractor.
• Submissions must be original and not publicly disclosed prior to Microsoft’s evaluation.

Microsoft encourages a broad range of participants, including independent researchers, university students, cybersecurity firms, and AI specialists. This open-door policy enhances diversity and creativity in discovering critical vulnerabilities.

What Products Are Covered Under the AI Bug Bounty?

The AI Bug Bounty focuses on several products and systems, including:

• Azure OpenAI Service
• Bing AI Chat
• GitHub Copilot
• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Security Copilot
• Custom AI Models and APIs built using Microsoft frameworks

These platforms integrate complex machine learning algorithms, natural language processing systems, and large language models (LLMs), all of which are susceptible to unique AI vulnerabilities such as data poisoning, prompt injection attacks, model evasion, and bias exploitation.

Types of Vulnerabilities That Microsoft Wants You to Find

Microsoft specifically seeks reports on vulnerabilities that could:

• Allow prompt injection or jailbreak attacks.
• Expose confidential or sensitive data.
• Enable adversarial attacks against AI models.
• Induce harmful or misleading content generation.
• Manipulate output to bypass content safety filters.
• Exploit biases or inaccuracies intentionally.
• Impact model integrity, confidentiality, or availability.

In addition, responsible AI principles violations are particularly critical. Reports that demonstrate bias, toxicity, privacy violations, or fairness issues in AI outputs can receive high rewards.

How Much Can You Earn from Finding AI Bugs?

The bounty rewards range from $2,000 to $30,000, based on the severity, impact, and quality of the report. Microsoft uses the following criteria to determine the reward amount:

• Severity: How critical is the vulnerability?
• Impact: What is the potential damage or abuse possible?
• Quality: How thorough and actionable is the report submitted?

Examples of rewards include:

• Critical severity bugs (e.g., remote prompt injection leading to data breach) can yield $20,000 to $30,000. So after finding critical bug you can Get $30K from Microsoft.
• High severity bugs (e.g., prompt jailbreak causing system misbehavior) can reward $10,000 to $20,000.
• Medium severity bugs can bring $5,000 to $10,000.
• Low severity issues may still earn $2,000 to $5,000.

Steps to Participate to Get $30K from Microsoft

Getting started with Microsoft’s AI Bug Bounty Program involves a series of structured steps:

1. Read the Official Bug Bounty Scope

Before beginning, participants must carefully study Microsoft’s AI Bounty Scope Document. It defines the accepted products, types of vulnerabilities in scope, and reporting guidelines.

2. Set Up a Testing Environment

Participants must create a controlled and isolated environment for testing, ensuring no impact on real users. Microsoft provides certain sandbox environments for testing purposes to avoid any operational disruption.

3. Discover and Validate Bugs

Participants need to actively search for vulnerabilities, validate their findings, and gather evidence such as:

• Screenshots
• Logs
• Recorded proof-of-concept videos
• Sample payloads or scripts

The more comprehensive and replicable the report, the higher the reward.

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4. Submit the Vulnerability Report

Submissions must be made through Microsoft’s official MSRC (Microsoft Security Response Center) portal. A good report includes:

• Clear reproduction steps
• Impact assessment
• Proposed mitigation suggestions
• Technical details on the bug

5. Communicate Responsibly

After submission, researchers are expected to maintain responsible disclosure, allowing Microsoft adequate time to patch vulnerabilities before public disclosure.

Best Practices to Maximise Rewards and Get $30K from Microsoft

To increase the chances of securing the highest bounty:

• Focus on critical impact areas such as data exposure or system compromise.
• Demonstrate how the vulnerability can be exploited in realistic attack scenarios.
• Maintain ethical behavior by avoiding disruption of services or harm to users.
• Use advanced AI security techniques like adversarial testing, model extraction attacks, and input manipulation.
• Stay updated on new Microsoft AI products and features as they are added to the bounty scope.

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Why Microsoft’s AI Bug Bounty Is a Game Changer

With the explosion of AI tools into everyday applications, vulnerabilities within AI systems pose threats not just to businesses, but to society as a whole. Microsoft’s proactive stance empowers security researchers globally to play an integral role in building secure, ethical, and trustworthy AI systems.

Furthermore, offering up to $30,000 per vulnerability elevates the importance of AI security research to a professional career option, not just a side pursuit. By involving the wider community, Microsoft ensures its AI-driven services maintain the highest standards of integrity.

Important Legal Considerations

Participants must adhere to Microsoft’s Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD) policy. Unauthorized access to data, interruption of services, or tampering with production environments can result in disqualification or legal action. Researchers must ensure:

• Tests are conducted ethically and legally.
• Personal data is not accessed or stored.
• Only authorized test accounts are used.

Microsoft’s bounty program is a model of collaboration between tech innovators and the security community, setting new standards for how AI vulnerabilities are addressed in the future.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s AI Bug Bounty program is a tremendous opportunity for security researchers worldwide to earn up to $30K while contributing to a safer digital future. With clear guidelines, generous rewards, and a strong focus on ethical AI development, the program represents a milestone in technology security. Researchers willing to dive deep into the intricacies of AI systems stand to gain not only financially but also in professional recognition and personal satisfaction.