Annual Hacking Contest to Target Web Browsers

The annual PWN2OWN contest, sponsored by security company TippingPoint, challenges enterprising hackers to discover unknown vulnerabilities in popular operating systems and other software. The 2009 contest, set to take place at next month's CanSecWest conference, has been split up into two separate categories. One features smartphone OSes, including Windows Mobile and Google Android, while the other tries to expose flaws in some of the latest Web browsers. The list includes Firefox, Safari, Opera, as well as Microsoft's latest: Internet Explorer 8. The platform for the browser competition will be a Sony VAIO P running the upcoming Windows 7 OS. Interestingly enough, this same Sony model will be one of the prizes awarded to the contest winners.