Pwn2Own is a hacking competition where researchers demonstrate software and device vulnerabilities, helping vendors identify flaws and improve security.
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Background for this topic.
Pwn2Own is a sanctioned hacking competition in which security researchers exploit specified software, devices, or other technology under controlled rules for cash prizes. Targets vary by edition and may include browsers, operating systems, virtualization, mobile devices, enterprise applications, vehicles, or industrial systems. Winning attempts commonly use previously undisclosed vulnerabilities, sometimes chaining several flaws to achieve code execution, sandbox escape, or privilege escalation.
Its security value is that it produces evidence that a vulnerability can be exploited against a real target, rather than merely theoretical findings. Organizers coordinate disclosure with affected developers, who can investigate and issue fixes or mitigations. Security teams should monitor related advisories, identify whether their deployed versions are affected, and prioritize patching when a demonstrated exploit involves an exposed attack surface or requires limited user interaction. Competition results do not mean every instance is exploitable in every environment, and technical exploit details may remain restricted until remediation is available.
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Security researchers exploited dozens of vulnerabilities in vehicle infotainment systems and EV chargers during the latest Pwn2Own contest at Automotive World 2026.
Pwn2Own Ireland kicked off on Oct. 21 and what researchers found continued to highlight how secure development practices are lacking across the industry.
The first team to successfully hack the electric vehicle maker's charger won $50,000 for their ingenuity.
There will be four major categories in the 2025 retread of the hacking competition, with prizes ranging for each challenge, from $20,000 to half a million.
A number of serious Windows bugs still haven't made their way into criminal circles, but that won't remain the case forever — and time is running short before ZDI releases exploit details.
Zero Day Initiative awarded a total of $732,000 to researchers who found 19 unique cybersecurity vulnerabilities during the first day of Pwn2Own.
A grouping of serious printer bugs, unveiled at last summer's Pwn2Own, were patchless for months, but are finally fixed now.
Hacking teams pick apart electrical vehicles (EVs), exposing them for what they are: safety-critical computers without commensurate security.
The competition encourages automotive research and allows for contestants to take part in person or remotely.
In two days, ethical researchers from 10 countries have unearthed more than 22 zero-day bugs in a wide range of technologies at the annual hacking contest.
Offensive security researchers found 63 previously unreported vulnerabilities in printers, phones, and network-attached storage devices in the Zero Day Initiative's latest hackathon.
From a scrappy contest where hackers tried to win laptops, Pwn2Own has grown into a premier event that has helped normalize bug hunting.
Researcher shares how he unearthed newer bugs in Apple's operating system by closer scrutiny of previous research, including vulnerabilities that came out of the Pwn2Own competition.