Security researchers have successfully exploited zero-day vulnerabilities found in macOS, Windows, and Tesla software at the Zero Day Initiative’s Pwn2Own conference.
Day one of the 2023 competition, hosted in Vancouver, saw 12 unique zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in Microsoft SharePoint, Windows 11, Adobe Reader, Oracle VirtualBox, Tesla Gateway, and macOS.
Abdul Aziz Hariri of security firm Haboob successfully exploited vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader. Hariri used a six-bug chained exploit to escape the Adobe sandbox and circumvent APIs on macOS, earning a $50,000 prize in the process.
A key talking point on day one of Pwn2Own came when STAR Labs successfully executed a chained exploit against Microsoft SharePoint. The team also hacked Ubuntu Desktop with a previously known vulnerability which saw them scoop a combined prize of $115,000.
Synacktiv secured a $140,000 prize haul - and a Tesla Model 3 - after hacking Apple’s macOS kernel through an elevation of privilege attack as well as a successful vulnerability exploit of Tesla Gateway. This attack saw the team execute a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) attack against the Gateway.
Tesla’s Gateway is a system in its Powerwall product which controls a vehicle’s connection to the grid. The Gateway automatically detects outages and provides a “seamless transition” to backup power in the event of an outage.
RELATED RESOURCE
This isn’t the first time Tesla Gateway has been exploited successfully. In 2020, researchers at security firm Rapid7 highlighted security risks due to the Gateway’s connection to the internet.
Meanwhile, security researcher Marcin Wiazowski used an improper input validation bug to elevate privileges on Windows 11 which saw him secure a $30,000 prize.
Bien Pham rounded off the first day with a successful exploit against Oracle VirtualBox, earning a prize of $40,000.
More to come at Pwn2Own
The annual competition saw $375,000 in prizes awarded over the course of day one, with Justin Childs, head of threat awareness at the Zero Day Initiative, stating that the contest is “well on its way to a million dollars”.
Last year’s contest saw researchers take home more than $1.1 million in winnings after hacking Windows 11 a total of six times and demonstrating three critical Microsoft Teams zero days.
With two more days still to run at Pwn2Own, Childs said there’s much more to come.
This includes demos for zero-day exploits in Microsoft Teams and follow-up attempts on Ubuntu Desktop and Oracle VirtualBox.
Tesla’s Infotainment Unconfined Root will also be in the crosshairs while day three will see additional attempts on Windows 11, Teams, and VMware Workstation.
-
Bigger salaries, more burnout: Is the CISO role in crisis?In-depth CISOs are more stressed than ever before – but why is this and what can be done?
-
Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
-
Hackers are targeting Ivanti VPN users again – here’s what you need to knowNews Ivanti has re-patched a security flaw in its Connect Secure VPN appliances that's been exploited by a China-linked espionage group since at least the middle of March.
-
Broadcom issues urgent alert over three VMware zero-daysNews The firm says it has information to suggest all three are being exploited in the wild
-
Nakivo backup flaw still present on some systems months after firms’ ‘silent patch’, researchers claimNews Over 200 vulnerable Nakivo backup instances have been identified months after the firm silently patched a security flaw.
-
Everything you need to know about the Microsoft Power Pages vulnerabilityNews A severe Microsoft Power Pages vulnerability has been fixed after cyber criminals were found to have been exploiting unpatched systems in the wild.
-
Vulnerability management complexity is leaving enterprises at serious riskNews Fragmented data and siloed processes mean remediation is taking too long
-
A critical Ivanti flaw is being exploited in the wild – here’s what you need to knowNews Cyber criminals are actively exploiting a critical RCE flaw affecting Ivanti Connect Secure appliances
-
Researchers claim an AMD security flaw could let hackers access encrypted dataNews Using only a $10 test rig, researchers were able to pull off the badRAM attack
-
The threat prevention buyer's guideWhitepaper Find the best advanced and file-based threat protection solution for you
