Google Spending $1M to Make Sure Drive Doesn't Get Hacked

Google is investing some serious cash to ensure that its Drive cloud storage platform is never hacked.

The company is setting aside an extra $1 million to fund grants for independent Drive vulnerability research in 2016. Separately, the company will continue to offer up to $20,000 to anyone who finds and reports a qualifying issue.

"The end result of these ongoing efforts is a product that — unlike your garden-variety hard drive — actually gets better over time," Google Drive Product Manager Kevin Nelson wrote in a blog post.

The new pledge comes after Google in January launched an "experimental" Vulnerability Research Grants program through which researchers can earn awards before they ever submit a bug. The program is meant for Google's "top performing, frequent vulnerability researchers" along with other invited experts. Under the program, grant amounts start at $500 and top out at $3,133.70.

"Keeping files safe in Google Drive is super important," Nelson wrote. "That's why Drive uses Google's highly secure, custom-built data centers to store your photos, videos, and other documents. But it's not just fences, cameras, and lasers that keep things safe — it's people."

Google employs more than 500 security experts, but the company also relies on a network of independent researchers, and that's where the grants and vulnerability awards come in.

Meanwhile, Google last week started rolling out an update for Drive that aims to help you more easily find the files you need. You can now narrow your search to a specific file type — like PDFs, text documents, spreadsheets, photos, presentations, or videos — right from the search box on iOS, Android, and the Web.