# Rails Security, AI, and IBB

DevFeed: [Rails Security, AI, and IBB](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/rails-security-ai-and-ibb-39005.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://tenderlovemaking.com/2026/05/06/rails-security-ai-and-ibb/>)

Published: 2026-05-06T17:31:54Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Aaron Patterson](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/aaron-patterson.md>)

Topics: [Rails](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/rails.md>), [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [Bug Bounty](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bugbounty.md>), [Security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/security.md>)

Tags: [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [bug-bounty](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bug-bounty.md>), [rails](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/rails.md>), [security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/security.md>)

## AI overview

A Rails team member reflects on the Internet Bug Bounty program, describing how AI-generated low-quality security reports overwhelmed the team and contributed to the program stopping new submissions and bounty payments. The change also removed incentives for legitimate researchers and left Rails handling payment-related questions.

## Source excerpt

For quite a few years the Rails project has been working with the Internet Bug Bounty (IBB). The IBB is an organization that awarded cash to security researchers that reported issues to OSS projects participating in the IBB. For quite a while I wasn't certain about my feelings toward the program because I felt like cash rewards could incentivize low quality reports as well as encourage reporters to "haggle" about the severity of a particular bug (the IBB paid more when the bug was more severe). In the beginning that certainly was the case. We were fielding many low quality reports, and people were haggling over severity. But the program evolved, and despite the never-ending haggling, I felt it did more good (rewarding security researchers) than bad (forcing the security team to wade through low quality reports). That is, until AI came along. Sometime in 2025 our team started getting inundated with low quality AI generated reports. I know for sure this wasn't unique to just our team as well. Anyway, AI lowered the barrier to generate reports, so we were back in the era of wading through low quality reports. Only this time, the low quality reports were masquerading as high quality reports. AI made it easy to turn a bullshit problem into something that looked legit, and since there's a possibility of money involved people tried to take advantage of the situation. We even had a report where someone forgot to delete the AI generated output and just uploaded the report as-is with the following text: ## ✅ READY TO SUBMIT! *All information prepared for professional Rails bug bounty submission.* *Expected Outcome:* Rails Team Response: 1-2 weeks Fix Development: 2-8 weeks Security Release: 8-12 weeks IBB Bounty: $1,040-1,600 (80% of $1,300-2,000) *Next Step:* Copy information above into HackerOne form and submit! I enjoy using AI, but I really don't like AI being used on me. But that's not what this post is about. Recently the IBB stopped accepting new submissions. In other