Beginner guide on bug bounties as AI reports strain programs
Original title: From Beginner to Bug Hunter: Learning Cybersecurity in the AI Era.
Curl ended its paid bounty on January 31, 2026 after confirmed findings fell below 5%, then later recovered near 15%.
A BleepingComputer guide tells new bug hunters to learn web and system basics, practice in labs, and submit only reproducible findings. It cites curl ending its bounty after low-quality, AI-heavy reports, while Google limited some supply-chain submissions and other reward programs continued. Maintainer Daniel Stenberg later said curl’s confirmed share returned to roughly 15% to 16% even as volume stayed high.
Unconfirmed: Quality figures are Stenberg’s account of curl’s program, not an industry-wide measurement.
- Curl’s program uncovered 87 confirmed vulnerabilities and paid more than $100,000.
- Confirmed curl findings fell from above 15% to below 5% starting in 2025.
- In April, Stenberg said the confirmed share was back near 15% to 16%.
- Google’s wider vulnerability rewards paid researchers $17.1 million in 2025.
From the original article
5 min read at bleepingcomputer.com
Finding a real security flaw and getting paid for it is an appealing goal when you are learning cyber security. Bug bounties give you a chance to test your skills on real software and help its developers make it safer. Headlines about programs closing or pausing under a flood of AI reports can make that route feel less certain.
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