The big surprise is not that IE8 or Safari were shamed, it's that no one tried to topple Chrome and Google's offer to pay an additional $20,000 to the first hacker to crack that browser. Well it’s March and time for the fifth annual Pwn2Own hacker challenge at CanSecWest security conference. The big surprise is not that IE8 or Safari were shamed on day one, it’s that no one took on Chrome and Google’s offer to pay an additional $20,000 to the first hacker to crack that browser.The rules of the high-stakes hack are if a security researcher can compromise the browser, controlling it to run arbitrary code through a previously undisclosed exploit, the hacker who pwns the hardware can then walk away with it, own it, and $15,000 in prize money. Another rule is that no technical details from winning hacks can be publicly disclosed. TippingPoint, the security company that sponsors Pwn2Own, pointed out that vendors have six months to fix any vulnerabilities exploited at Pwn2Own before TippingPoint goes public with the flaws’ technical information.Google patched 25 Chrome vulnerabilities before the infamous CanSecWest Pwn2Own hacking contest. In an anti-pwn2own attempt, Apple updated Safari to 5.0.4 and patched 62 vulnerabilities. Microsoft did not even attempt to patch IE8 before Pwn2Own. Instead the mighty M got serious about a marketing campaign countdown, begging folks to stop using IE6. After Pwn2Own 2010 last March, Microsoft took until June to patch that vulnerability. This year, the first to be quickly shamed was Safari on a Macbook Air. It involved a use-after-free flaw in the Apple browser and took only 5 seconds! Ars Technica reported, “French security firm VUPEN was first to attack the browser, and five seconds after the browser visited its specially-crafted malicious web page, it had both launched the platform calculator application (a standard harmless payload to demonstrate that arbitrary code has been executed) and wrote a file to the hard disk (to demonstrate that the sandbox had been bypassed).” VUPEN waltzed out with $15,000 and a new MacBook Air.Contestants needed to escape the security sandbox which is “Protected Mode” on Internet Explorer. The sandbox supposedly stops write access to the registry keys and operating system, theoretically stopping such practices as malicious software being subversively installed on a computer. But that didn’t help Microsoft as on the first day of Pwn2Own, the next hacker up, Irish security researcher Stephen Fewer of Harmony Security, exploited three different vulnerabilities to crack out of “Protected Mode,” hack into a 64-bit Windows 7 (SP1) running IE8, and win a new Windows laptop and $15,000. ZDNet reported that Fewer, “a Metasploit developer who specializes in writing Windows exploits, used two different zero-day bugs in IE to get reliable code execution and then chained a third vulnerability to jump out of the IE Protected Mode sandbox.” Sadly, Pwn2Own 2011 was without champion Geohot who is currently busy in a legal battle with Sony for unlocking the PlayStation 3 gaming console. Geohot had planned to jailbreak a Windows Phone 7 device, the Dell Venue Pro. Charlie Miller, three-time Pwn2Own winner, also had an Apple Safari exploit ready.Although Google offered an additional $20,000 to any team or individual who could successfully crack Chrome, no one took up the challenge. Engadget reported that the two takers, Team Anon and an individual, were busy elsewhere and pulled a no show.Today, day two of Pwn2Own, will focus on attacking the smartphone platforms of Windows 7 Mobile, iPhone 4, BlackBerry Torch 9800, and a Nexus S running Google’s Android.Like this? Check out these other posts:All of today’s Microsoft news and blogsAre smart meters real-time surveillance spies? TSA Surveillance: Peep Show, Police State, Privacy Invasion or All Three? Behavioral Ads Appearing On Online Banking Statements Real ID: DHS National ID Nightmare that Won’t Die? Real life HAL 9000: computers reacting to human emotions? Microsoft: Want Unrestricted Net Access? Need PC Health Certificate Watchdog Group questions Google’s relationship with NSA Former FBI Agent Turned ACLU Attorney: Feds Routinely Spy on Citizens Hackers needed to save the world — at least America Follow me on Twitter @PrivacyFanatic Related content news Dow Jones watchlist of high-risk businesses, people found on unsecured database A Dow Jones watchlist of 2.4 million at-risk businesses, politicians, and individuals was left unprotected on public cloud server. By Ms. Smith Feb 28, 2019 4 mins Data Breach Hacking Security news Ransomware attacks hit Florida ISP, Australian cardiology group Ransomware attacks might be on the decline, but that doesn't mean we don't have new victims. A Florida ISP and an Australian cardiology group were hit recently. By Ms. Smith Feb 27, 2019 4 mins Ransomware Security news Bare-metal cloud servers vulnerable to Cloudborne flaw Researchers warn that firmware backdoors planted on bare-metal cloud servers could later be exploited to brick a different customer’s server, to steal their data, or for ransomware attacks. By Ms. Smith Feb 26, 2019 3 mins Cloud Computing Security news Meet the man-in-the-room attack: Hackers can invisibly eavesdrop on Bigscreen VR users Flaws in Bigscreen could allow 'invisible Peeping Tom' hackers to eavesdrop on Bigscreen VR users, to discreetly deliver malware payloads, to completely control victims' computers and even to start a worm infection spreading through VR By Ms. Smith Feb 21, 2019 4 mins Hacking Vulnerabilities Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe