back to article Contest offers $100,000 for smartphone, browser hacks

An annual hacking contest that has made mincemeat of security on both Mac and Windows computers will set its sights on smartphones and browsers with as much as $100,000 in awards next month. Now in its fourth year, the Pwn2Own competition will award $60,000 for exploits that successfully penetrate Apple's iPhone 3GS, Research …

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  1. KenBW2

    Incomplete list?

    Where's Ubuntu, and the Flash combinations?

  2. Mark Jan

    Opera

    Good reason to carry on using Opera then!

  3. Eduard Coli
    Gates Horns

    Flann

    "The extremely low number of attacks that target Macs in the wild has led many fans to claim the platform is more resistant to malicious hacks. Critics maintain the lack of successful OS X exploits is merely the result of its significantly lower market share, roughly 8 percent worldwide, compared with around 90 percent for Windows."

    There is some truth to the market share, it seems logical but it generally is more secure, at least as secure as any OS that took security seriously rather than a company by-line to sell copy.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      RE: Flann

      ...and no-one I know has ever heard of a virus or worm infecting a Mac in real life.

      When I speak to PC owners, not only have they heard of them (ofc) most of them have experience of trying to get rid of one... or more.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    BIt of a skew on the OS X side there

    last I looked, there were still more than a few people running Leopard and Tiger

  5. Mark 65

    Strange

    Why does OSX only get Safari 4? I'm guessing this is sectioned by browser stats so they're merely reflecting the more abundant, more often compromised argument. Be good to see more browsers on OSX and maybe Ubuntu (with nice hardware) to see how things go.

  6. Confuciousmobil
    FAIL

    iPhone

    I'm not quite sure what the point of this is?

    Are they after a replacement for the 24kPwn exploit or something else?

    An offer of $10K prompted Geohot to unlock BB 05.11.07 but he turned down the money when he found out who it was from. Maybe he'll be tempted by this. The Dev Team don't work for money so I doubt if this will interest them, but if other hackers get an interest in the iPhone it might be good.

    I am concerned that any exploit made public will be blocked by Apple - this competition is run by a security company.

    In the case of browsers there is no advantage to having exploits. In the case of smartphones, to block these exploits will be very, very bad news for millions of JailBreakers.

    I hope that if someone does find a 24kPwn replacement it is used for the good of the community rather than some small financial gain.

    1. Bilgepipe
      Gates Horns

      And Rightly So

      "I am concerned that any exploit made public will be blocked by Apple - this competition is run by a security company."

      I'd rather security issues are fixed than a bunch of 1337 haxx0rs get to jailbreak their phones. Don't get me wrong, I'm considering jailbreaking my Touch, but security should not be compromised for any reason, and certainly not for jailbreaking. Apple have a duty to secure their kit and the jailbreakers have to deal with that.

  7. Danny 14
    Unhappy

    missing?

    No penguin love? Opera?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      You dare to suggest there are vulnerabilities in Linux?

      Enjoy your slow, tedious death at the hands of the Tux-lovers...

  8. Bill Fresher

    Pwn2Own

    Wtananoygnme.

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