Chrome’s security as a browser has long been touted thanks to its sandbox technology which prevents malicious code from spreading. One of the reasons the browser is so successful is an annual event held each year called Pwn 2 Own, which awards more than $1 million in prizes to hackers and bug trackers who are paid to try and find exploits in the browser.
This has a two fold effect, as it gives hackers a reason to work for the good of the browser, instead of using the exploits themselves, while on the other hand it makes Chrome more secure as the team are immediately alerted to the intricate details of any exploits that are discovered so they can be patched away quickly.
This year, Sergey Glazunov was the first to take the $60,000 grand prize as he demonstrated an exploit that could completely bypass Chrome’s sandbox. Glazunov has been working as a Chromium contributor for several years now, so it’s always nice to see when dedication can pay off.
[via ArnNet]
