Solana Bug Hunt Charges 0.5 SOL Per Report for Alpenglow

Solana developer group Anza has introduced a paid bug hunt for the upcoming Alpenglow consensus upgrade. Security researchers must pay a non refundable fee of 0.5 SOL to file each finding through a special portal, which burns the fee and creates a confidential GitHub security advisory. Reports sent through other channels will not count, and the fee is not returned regardless of whether the bug is valid.

The Alpenglow upgrade aims to replace Solana's current Proof of History and TowerBFT consensus protocol with a new system designed to slash transaction finality from 12.8 seconds down to roughly 100 to 150 milliseconds. The bounty covers the Votor voting engine, BLS signature verification, and the complex migration path needed to switch protocols safely. Anza hopes the filing fee will cut down on low quality placeholder submissions.

While the filing fee might discourage spam, critics point out it could also price out researchers who find valid issues with uncertain impact. The rules state that priority goes to the earliest report meeting the proof of concept bar, and awards range from modest sums up to massive payouts for critical safety violations. Successful payouts will be paid in lump sums of SOL that remain locked for twelve months.

Traders and developers should watch how the Alpenglow security review unfolds, as a successful upgrade could drastically improve network speeds. At the same time, the strict and costly reporting rules might influence how many independent auditors decide to participate in testing the new consensus code.