Cybersecurity Researchers Score Big at Pwn2Own Ireland, Collecting $1.26 Million in Rewards for Identifying Zero-Day Flaws
A trio of cybersecurity researchers walked away with a whopping $361,000 and 42.5 Master of Pwn points after dominating this year’s Pwn2Own Ireland hacking contest, which concluded on October 7th. The competition, organized by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), saw hackers exploiting 98 zero-day flaws across various categories, earning a total of $1.26 million in rewards.
Ikotas Labs security researchers were the clear winners of Pwn2Own Ireland 2026, demonstrating their skills and expertise in identifying vulnerabilities in top-notch products such as Samsung’s Galaxy S26 smartphone, OpenAI’s Codex AI coding app, and Oracle’s Autonomous AI Database. Their impressive haul included a $300,000 reward on the final day of the contest after chaining multiple zero-days to hack Google’s Pixel 10 smartphone.
The competition saw 29 research teams targeting products across seven categories, including mobile phones, AI infrastructure, messaging apps, smart home devices, printers, and wellness healthcare devices. This year’s Pwn2Own Ireland also introduced a new category focused on mobile phones, with the iPhone 17 being a potential target for hackers. However, no contestant registered to attempt an exploit.
The Pwn2Own rules require all devices and products to run the latest firmware versions, and contestants to compromise the target and demonstrate arbitrary code execution. Vendors must patch zero-days disclosed during the competition within 90 days before ZDI publicly shares details. This year’s contest saw hackers exploiting a total of 98 zero-day flaws, with competitors collecting $388,500 after demonstrating 32 vulnerabilities on the first day alone.
The success of this year’s Pwn2Own Ireland highlights the importance of identifying and patching zero-day flaws before they can be exploited by malicious actors. By participating in such competitions, security researchers help vendors to strengthen their products against potential attacks and ultimately protect users from cyber threats.
As a takeaway for our readers, it is essential to keep software up-to-date with the latest patches and firmware versions to minimize vulnerabilities. Additionally, being aware of the latest cybersecurity trends and threats can help individuals and organizations make informed decisions about their security posture. With the rise of AI-powered attacks, it’s more crucial than ever to stay vigilant and proactive in addressing emerging cyber threats.
Source: Bleeping Computer — 2026-10-09