Over $1 Million Awarded in Pwn2Own Hacking Competition

Rhea-AI Summary

Trend Micro announced record payouts at its Pwn2Own competition held in Vancouver. A total of $1,035,000 was awarded, alongside a Tesla Model 3, as participants uncovered 27 zero-day vulnerabilities. The team Synacktiv emerged as the overall winner, earning $530,000 and notable accolades for their exploits against Tesla. Other participants also achieved significant results, including $100,000 for STAR Labs and $75,000 for Team Viettel. The event, now in its 16th year, highlighted critical advancements in cybersecurity amidst increasing digital threats.

Positive

• Awarded $1,035,000 in total prizes at Pwn2Own competition.
• Synacktiv won $530,000 and the first-ever Tier 2 award, showcasing robust vulnerability identification.
• 27 unique zero-day vulnerabilities discovered, enhancing product security for vendors.

Negative

• None.

Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative pays record prizes for threat discoveries at historic event

VANCOUVER, BC, March 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global cybersecurity leader Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) has announced the winners of its spring Pwn2Own competition held in Vancouver and sponsored by the Zero Day Initiative. Participants discovered 27 unique zero-day vulnerabilities, helping vendors enhance the security of their products and earning the contests a total of $1,035,000 as well as a Tesla Model 3.

Participants discovered 27 unique zero-day vulnerabilities, helping vendors enhance the security of their products.

To learn more about Pwn2Own Vancouver 2023 and recap highlights of the event, visit zerodayinitiative.com/blog.

"Connected technologies drive our vehicles and power the hybrid workplace, so the more novel vulnerabilities we can find in them, the better," said Brian Gorenc, vice president of threat research at Trend Micro. "Once again Pwn2Own has shown that, as much as we pay out in prize money, the real-world benefits to companies and their customers are worth much more. Congratulations to the team at Synacktiv for their months of hard work leading up to this event."

Researchers from Synacktiv achieved critical successes against Tesla, including a historic attempt that used a heap overflow and an OOB write to exploit Tesla - Infotainment Unconfined Root and earned them the first-ever Tier 2 award at a Pwn2Own competition. The team also executed a successful TOCTOU exploit against Tesla - Gateway.

Other highlights:

• STAR Labs executed a 2-bug chain against Microsoft SharePoint for $100,000
• Team Viettel used a 2-bug chain against Microsoft Teams for $75,000
• AbdulAziz Hariri demonstrated a 6-bug chain against Adobe Reader for $50,000
• Windows 11, macOS, and Ubuntu were all exploited during the competition

The overall Master of Pwn winner was Synacktiv with 53 points, winning $530,000 and a Tesla Model 3 as well as a $25,000 winner's bonus. Synacktiv was represented by Eloi Benoist-Vanderbeken, David Berard, Vincent Dehors, Tanguy Dubroca, Thomas Bouzerar, and Thomas Imbert. The top five contestants were:

1. Synacktiv – $530,000
2. STAR Labs – $195,000
3. Team Viettel – $115,000
4. Qrious Security – $55,000
5. AbdulAziz Hariri – $50,000

Now in its 16th year, Pwn2Own was held at the Sheraton Wall Center in Vancouver during the CanSecWest conference on March 22-24. The next Pwn2Own competition will take place in Toronto in October.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com.  

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/over-1-million-awarded-in-pwn2own-hacking-competition-301781548.html

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated

FAQ

What was the total prize money awarded at the Trend Micro Pwn2Own event in 2023?

The total prize money awarded was $1,035,000.

Which team won the 2023 Pwn2Own competition?

The team Synacktiv won the Pwn2Own competition in 2023.

What type of vulnerabilities were discovered during the Pwn2Own competition?

Participants discovered 27 unique zero-day vulnerabilities.

What was the significance of the Prizes awarded at the Pwn2Own event?

The prizes included a Tesla Model 3 and significant cash awards for discovering critical vulnerabilities.

When and where was the Pwn2Own competition held in 2023?

The Pwn2Own competition took place from March 22-24, 2023, in Vancouver.