The TippingPoint Zero Day Initiative has announced that the annual Pwn2Own contest is back again this year at the CanSecWest security conference held in Vancouver, BC on March 24th 2010.

As the contest name implies, if you successfully exploit a target you get to keep it along with a ZDI cash prize and related benefits. This is the 4th year running and to commemorate they have increased the total cash prize amount to $100,000 USD.

This year the competition will have two main technology targets. In keeping with tradition the first portion of the event will attempt to bring to light the current security posture of market-leading web browser and operating system pairings. The multifaceted web browser continues to occupy a critical presence on the client-side attack surface. As Adobe, Google, and an estimated 30 other companies affected in the Aurora incident can attest to, the security posture of these products merits a yearly public evaluation by the research community at large.

The second portion of Pwn2Own 2010 offers bounties for vulnerabilities affecting mobile phones. The increased presence and capabilities of smart phones has brought with it the same security issues and attention traditionally reserved for non hand-held platforms. Vulnerabilities in parsing media, dynamic web content, e-mail, and other client-side issues have been published in the past. Additionally, many of the communication protocols that mobile phones implement are the focus of a burgeoning field of security research. The data stored and communicated across these devices is increasing in value to attackers.

Registration

Pwn2Own will be held over the course of three days starting on March 24th with the browser and the mobile contests running concurrently. To register for the competition, send an e-mail to ZDI@tippingpoint.com. Competitors will be assigned a random half hour time slot.