Apple Offers $1 Million Reward for Hacking Its AI-Enabled Private Cloud

n a move to strengthen its security, Apple has announced a bounty of up to $1 million for anyone who can identify vulnerabilities in its new Private Cloud Compute (PCC) system, an AI-enhanced cloud service set to debut next week with the iOS 18.1 update.

Through a recent blog post titled “Security research on Private Cloud Compute,” Apple invited security researchers, analysts, and ethical hackers to identify security flaws in its private cloud infrastructure. The bounty program offers tiered rewards, with the highest reward of $1 million available for those who can perform a “remote attack on request data.” Additional rewards, up to $250,000, are available for identifying other vulnerabilities, such as accessing sensitive user data outside of Apple’s secure boundaries.

The announcement follows Apple’s introduction of Apple Intelligence, an AI feature set to be integrated into iPhones through the iOS 18.1 update. Among the new AI capabilities, iPhones will receive enhanced features for Siri, powered by the PCC’s advanced security architecture, which Apple claims is “the most advanced security architecture ever deployed for cloud AI compute at scale.”

Apple is using its own silicon servers to run PCC, ensuring a fortified environment for AI-based operations. In its blog post, Apple stated that third-party auditors and select security researchers have already received early access to the PCC Virtual Research Environment, giving them preliminary resources to explore potential weaknesses.

The company emphasized its dedication to user privacy and security, explaining that any vulnerability that significantly impacts PCC will be considered for the bounty, even if it falls outside predefined categories. Submissions will be evaluated based on the quality, proof, and impact of the security flaw on users.

Aspiring participants can visit the Apple Security Bounty page for more details and to submit their findings. This bounty is part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to improve security and enhance trust with its user base as AI features take on a larger role within its ecosystem.