Hacker Challenge Takes Aim at Browsers, Smartphones
The hacking contest that has grabbed headlines two years running will take aim next month at browsers and smartphones, according to the security company that sponsors the "PWN2OWN" challenge.
"We're still in the planning stages for how the competition will be structured," said Terri Forslof , the manager of security response for 3Com Inc.'s TippingPoint , regarding discussions she's had with organizers of CanSecWest , the security conference slated to begin March 16 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
While the details have yet to be sorted out -- including the dollar amounts for prizes and the contest rules -- Forslof confirmed that PWN2OWN will actually consist of two separate hacker challenges this year.
The first will be a contest to break into one of several browsers, including Microsoft Corp. 's Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), which recently reached "release candidate" ; Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox; and Apple Inc. 's Safari.
That contest will play out on a Sony notebook equipped with Windows 7, the still-under-construction successor to Windows Vista.
:
