Pwnium 3 and Pwn2Own are two events focused on browsing security, in which hackers try their best at finding browser vulnerabilities and attacking them. Under this controlled environment, browser developers can find major vulnerabilities only to patch them, making sure the web stays secure for all users. Of course, successful hackers get a price, which included $3.14159 in prizes for the Pwnium 3 event.
As the title states, Chrome OS stayed undefeated in the Pwnium 3 contest. No hacker was able to successfully attack the Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook, even though some did earn partial credit.
Pwnium 3 has completed and we did not receive any winning entries. We are evaluating some work that may qualify as partial credit. Working with the security community is one of the best ways we know to keep our users safe, so we’re grateful to the researchers who take the time to help us in these efforts.
Chrome’s luck wasn’t the same during the Pwn2Own contest, which ran parallel to Pwnium 3. In this event, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox were all defeated by contestants. Safari ended up victorious, but only because no hacker signed up to try and attack it.
This was a great event for Google, who is currently trying to promote the brand new (and very expensive) Chromebook Pixel. As we mentioned before, Chrome OS is definitely among the most secure operating systems in existence. This contest’s result come as great proof of such, but you must still browse smartly and take your precautions! Don’t ever let your guard down.
