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Google pays out thousands for Chrome bug discoveries

The company announced on its Chrome Releases blog yesterday that it has paid out over $11,000 to folks who discovered security bugs in its Chrome browser.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger

Google has awarded several folks serious cash for finding security holes in its Chrome browser.

A researcher identified as "miaubiz" earned the lion's share of the cash Google doled out, securing $7,000 for finding a host of High priority security flaws. The remaining $4,500 was spread around to other users. The majority of flaws netted users $1,000 each.

"We'd also like to thank Arthur Gerkis, Atte Kettunen of OUSPG and miaubiz for working with us during the development cycle and preventing security regressions from ever reaching the stable channel," Google wrote yesterday in a blog post announcing the awards. "Various additional rewards were issued for this awesomeness."

Google has relied heavily upon the expert community to help it find flaws in its browser. Back in March, the company announced that Chromium contributor Sergey Glazunov was awarded $60,000 for finding a "Full Chrome Exploit" that bypassed the browser's sandboxing security. Soon after it was discovered, the flaw was patched to ensure no one could take advantage.