Day 2 of Pwn2Own Vancouver 2023: Hackers Score Big Wins with Million-Dollar Exploits

The second day of Pwn2Own Vancouver 2023, the famous hacking contest organized by the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), has ended.

The competition started on March 23 and saw dozens of hackers attempting to find vulnerabilities in popular software and operating systems, including Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Ubuntu.
On day two, participants focused on testing the security of the macOS and Windows 10 operating systems with some success.
For macOS, a team of researchers from the Georgia Tech Systems Software and Security Lab successfully exploited a Safari browser vulnerability, earning them $40,000 in prize money. Meanwhile, another team of researchers from the same lab won $20,000 for successfully using a macOS kernel vulnerability.

On the Windows 10 side, Team Fluoroacetate, composed of hackers Amat Cama and Richard Zhu, successfully exploited a Windows 10 virtual machine, earning them $80,000 in prize money. The duo also won an additional $20,000 for exploiting Microsoft Edge.
Other participants attempted to find vulnerabilities in the Ubuntu operating system but were unsuccessful.

In total, the second day of Pwn2Own Vancouver 2023 awarded $200,000 in prize money to the participating teams. The competition will continue on March 24 with further attempts to exploit various software and operating systems.

John King, CISSP, PMP, CISM

John King currently works in the greater Los Angeles area as a ISSO (Information Systems Security Officer). John has a passion for learning and developing his cyber security skills through education, hands on work, and studying for IT certifications.