Google is tripling its Chrome bug reward maximum to $15,000

Google has released a statement announcing it will triple the maximum reward amount for users who report security bugs in its Chrome browser.

Tim Willis, Google's "hacker philanthropist" on the Chrome Security Team, announced Tuesday that Google is increasing its usual reward price range, which previously included a maximum of $5,000 per bug, to anywhere between $500 to as much as $15,000 per bug. If you're not sure just how much your tip might be worth, Google also provided a list of how much each bug type may earn you.

Willis notes that Google has so far killed more than 700 Chrome security bugs, awarding more than $1.25 million in the process. And if you send Google a particularly great report on a security bug, you could earn even more than $15,000 — last month, Google awarded $30,000 for a "very impressive" bug report.

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How do you make sure your reward is at the higher end of the spectrum? Willis says Google will award more money when researchers offer "an exploit to demonstrate a specific attack path" against Chrome users. You can now submit the security vulnerability first and add the exploit later, which Willis says will allow Google to patch the bugs sooner.

If you're looking for some extra cash, reporting a Chrome bug might be a good option. And in addition to the monetary reward, you'll be added to the Google Hall of Fame. To report a bug, you can contact Google's team using their online submission form.