Google stops accepting OSS VRP product vulnerability reports, citing a surge of mostly invalid automated submissions L1Delayed Discovery: 3 days ago (Published: 2026-10-01)
Confidence: High
Key Points: On October 1 Google announced through the official Google VRP account on X that its Open Source Software Vulnerability Reward Program (OSS VRP) is temporarily no longer accepting product vulnerability submissions; TechCrunch reported it on October 4. Google said the pause is due to a significant rise in automated submissions, the vast majority of which are not valid. The notice says supply chain reports and outstanding reports are not affected, and neither are product vulnerabilities submitted before October 1, 2026. Google committed to giving an update in Q1 2027 and in the meantime encourages researchers to look at its other VRP programs. According to BleepingComputer, vulnerabilities in open source repositories that affect Google Cloud products may still be accepted through the Cloud VRP, and the Patch Rewards Program (up to $15,000 for high-impact fixes) remains open. TechCrunch, citing Tom's Hardware, says Google engineers and open source maintainers were overwhelmed by reports that were invalid or contained hallucinations.
Impact: Security researchers who report product vulnerabilities in Google's open source projects for rewards are directly affected: since October 1, new reports of that kind cannot be submitted through the OSS VRP. Open source maintainers who run their own vulnerability intake or bounty programs face the same kind of problem; BleepingComputer notes that curl had already ended its HackerOne bounty program after a flood of AI-generated reports.
Detailed Analysis
Trade-offs
Pros:
- Supply chain reports, outstanding reports and product vulnerabilities submitted before October 1 are all unaffected
- Alternatives remain: Google's other VRP programs, the Cloud VRP for some Google Cloud repositories, and the Patch Rewards Program
- Google has named the next checkpoint: an update in Q1 2027
Cons:
- During the pause, newly found product vulnerabilities in Google's open source projects cannot be submitted through the OSS VRP
- What is promised for Q1 2027 is an update, not a date for reopening
- None of the coverage quoting the notice gives the number of automated submissions or the invalid rate, or says how such reports will be filtered afterwards
Quick Start (5-15 minutes)
- Open the Google VRP notice at
https://x.com/GoogleVRP/status/2105689195180179605and the OSS VRP rules page athttps://bughunters.google.com/about/rules/open-source/google-open-source-software-vulnerability-reward-program-rulesto confirm what is currently accepted - Sort your findings on Google's open source projects: supply chain issues and anything submitted before October 1 proceed as usual; for a new product vulnerability, first check whether it falls under the Cloud VRP or another Google VRP program
- If you use AI or automated tools to find vulnerabilities, reproduce each finding by hand and attach a proof of concept before submitting, so you do not send reports that cannot be verified
- If your own open source project accepts vulnerability reports, count the share of reports from the past month that could not be reproduced and decide whether the report template or intake rules need to change
Recommendation
Vulnerability researchers should confirm the report type and the matching channel first and watch for Google's update in Q1 2027; anyone using automated tools should finish manual verification before submitting.
Sources: Official Google VRP post on X (Social Media) | TechCrunch (News) | BleepingComputer (News)