OpenAI is rolling out a public **Safety Bug Bounty** program aimed at identifying potential misuse of its AI tools. This initiative, announced in a blog post, is designed to complement the company’s existing bug bounty efforts by investigating concerns that pose significant risks of abuse and safety, even if they do not align with traditional security vulnerabilities.
The firm stated, “Our goal is to ensure our systems remain safe and secure against misuse or abuse that could lead to tangible harm.” This new program reflects OpenAI’s commitment to collaborating with safety and security researchers to pinpoint and mitigate issues that, while outside conventional security parameters, still represent serious threats.
To be eligible for participation, issues must be associated with a design or implementation flaw in an active OpenAI product that could be exploited by an attacker to cause significant harm. OpenAI specified that identified issues must be addressable through clear recommendations for mitigation. “The goal of this program is to reward for bug fixes and we cannot reward requests for general product improvements,” the company added.
Participants in the program must ensure that identified issues are reproducible at least 50% of the time, with any test accounts being owned by the researcher themselves. Additionally, testing must not pose any risk to real-world accounts. OpenAI highlighted several types of risks that will fall under the new initiative, including **third-party prompt injection**, **data exfiltration**, and **browser-related risks** such as account hijacking.
The program will also focus on protecting OpenAI’s proprietary information, including model outputs that may inadvertently reveal sensitive details. Furthermore, the company will consider vulnerabilities related to account integrity, such as bypassing anti-automation controls and evading account restrictions. Any vulnerabilities allowing access to features or data beyond authorized permissions should be reported through the **Safety Bug Bounty** program.
While OpenAI clarified that issues like jailbreaks are not included in this particular program’s scope, it noted that it conducts private bug bounty campaigns aimed at specific harm types. These campaigns may address risks associated with content in ChatGPT and GPT-5, with researchers welcomed to apply as opportunities arise.
OpenAI stated, “Outside of the categories listed above, if researchers identify flaws that facilitate direct paths to user harm and actionable, discrete remediation steps, these may be considered in scope for rewards on a case-by-case basis.” However, general content-policy bypasses lacking demonstrable safety or abuse impact are deemed out of scope, with examples such as jailbreaks resulting in inappropriate language being excluded.
Submissions to the **Safety Bug Bounty** program will be evaluated by OpenAI’s Safety and Security teams, with the initiative hosted by **Bugcrowd**. This robust approach not only aims to enhance the safety of OpenAI’s products but also signals the company’s proactive stance in fostering a secure AI environment amidst rising concerns over the potential misuse of AI technologies.
As the landscape of artificial intelligence continues to evolve, OpenAI’s serious engagement with researchers highlights an industry-wide urgency to address ethical implications and safety risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems. By seeking external input, the company aims to cultivate an ecosystem of responsibility and vigilance in AI development and deployment.
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