The Pwn2own challenge invites hackers and security researchers to take their best shot at browsers and mobile platforms. And often, in anticipation, vendors will push out updates ahead of the challenge.
Underway this week, Pwn2own has already seen its first casualties: Apple’s Safari browser and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8.
In fact, in a matter of seconds, researchers from VUPEN Security were able to hack Safari 5.0.3 running on a fully patched version of Mac OS X. Of course, it’s necessary to point out that Apple has pushed out version 5.0.4 of Safari, which VUPEN researchers acknowledge addresses some, though not all, of the vulnerabilities.
Additionally, a researcher competing at Pwn2own was able to bypass the security provisions in Microsoft’s IE 8, running on Windows 7.
eSecurity Planet has the full report on the exploits underway at Pwn2own.