Pwnium 2 Closes After A Single Submission

Google has officially closed the Pwnium 2 competition which took place at the Hack In The Box conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The only successful exploit was entered by the last year’s winner Pinkie Pie, who could get the main prize of $60,000.

Google had set aside $2 million to pay out the hackers, but it seems that no one but Pinkie Pie could break its popular web browser. However some analysts have suggested that exploit hunters have ignored the competition because they can get more money by selling their findings on the open market.

Unbreakable

The second Pwnium competition was announced in August, after the first event uncovered two serious bugs. It was originally put together as an alternative to a similar contest, Pwn2Own, which doesn’t require the hackers to disclose their methods.

To compete for the main prize, participants have to take control of either a Chrome OS or Windows 7 machine using vulnerabilities in the browser itself. Exploits have to be present in the latest version of Chrome, and the underlying operating system and drivers have to be fully patched.

After the competition closed, Pinkie Pie was the only participant with a successful entry. Last year, the mysterious hacker had strung together six different bugs to break Chrome. Now, a jury put together by Google will evaluate the submission, to decide whether it meets the criteria for the $60,000 award.

Earlier this year, Google announced it was upping the amount it would pay bug bounty hunters for a single find to $20,000. That represented a significant increase over the previous maximum payout of $3,133 that Google announced last summer.

How well do you know your web browsers? Take our quiz!

Max Smolaks

Max 'Beast from the East' Smolaks covers open source, public sector, startups and technology of the future at TechWeekEurope. If you find him looking lost on the streets of London, feed him coffee and sugar.

Recent Posts

The Sustainability of AI

While AI promises unparalleled efficiency, productivity, and innovation, questions regarding its environmental impact loom large.…

3 hours ago

Trump’s Truth Social Makes Successful Market Debut

Shares in Donald Trump’s social media company rose about 16 percent after first day of…

3 hours ago

Dutch PM Raises Cyber Espionage Case With China’s Xi

Beijing visit sees Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte discuss cyber espionage incident with Chinese President…

4 hours ago

Vodafone Germany Confirms 2,000 Job Losses, Amid European Restructuring

More downsizing at Vodafone after German operation announces 2,000 jobs will be axed, as automation…

20 hours ago

AI Poses ‘Jobs Apocalypse’, Warns Report

IPPR report warns AI could remove almost 8 million jobs in the United Kingdom, with…

21 hours ago

Europe’s Longest Hyperloop Test Track Opens

European Hyperloop Center in the Netherlands seeks to advance futuristic transport technology, despite US setbacks

22 hours ago