Microsoft Paid Out $2.3 Million at Zero Day Quest 2026 Hacking Contest

Microsoft paid out 2.3 million dollars to white-hat hackers at its Zero Day Quest 2026 hacking competition, where researchers from over 20 countries submitted 700 security findings. The contest uncovered 80 high-impact vulnerabilities in Microsoft's cloud and AI services, particularly in areas like identity controls and tenant isolation that could allow unauthorized cross-tenant access. This represents a significant increase from last year's event, which paid out 1.6 million dollars, and continues Microsoft's broader bug bounty program that has paid out over 92 million dollars since 2018.