Trend Micro Incorporated has announced Tesla will be the title sponsor for the inaugural Pwn2Own Automotive event. The competition is set to take place in Tokyo from January 24th to 26th, 2024, as part of the Automotive World conference.
You probably already know about Pwn2Own, a computer hacking competition that has been running for the past 16 years and which Tesla has been involved in for several of those, including earlier this year when it gave away a Model 3 and $100,000 after a team was able to exploit the electric sedan. That competition is more general in nature, with an automotive category.
Now there will be a Pwn2Own competition that focuses exclusively on vulnerabilities within connected cars. With a total of $1 million dollars in cash prizes and cars up for grabs, the event aims to incentivize security research in the automotive ecosystem and increase awareness of the vulnerabilities within modern vehicles.
“Tesla’s extensive knowledge of electric vehicles (EVs) has already proven invaluable during their collaboration with Trend Micro at previous Pwn2Own events. We’re delighted to welcome Tesla as title sponsor as we redouble our efforts to expand our influence in the field of automotive cybersecurity,” said Brian Gorenc, VP of threat research at Trend Micro.
The event features multiple categories. The Tesla category, introduced at Pwn2Own Vancouver 2019, offers contestants the opportunity to win cash prizes of up to $200,000 and their own Tesla vehicle.
The In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) category targets systems that connect with phones, providing navigation, in-car internet, and Wi-Fi, while the Electric Vehicle Chargers category focuses on vulnerabilities in EV charging systems.
Finally, there is the Operating Systems category that will challenge participants to exploit vulnerabilities in Automotive Grade Linux, Blackberry QNX, and Android Automotive OS.
