Gary Zhou 
Tesla is sponsoring the 2023 Pwn2Own hacking competition, and this year’s top prizes include a Model 3 and a Model S. Pwn2Own organizers, Zero Day Initiative noted that it was excited to have Tesla return as a partner and mentioned a top prize of $600,000.
“They always innovate, and we’ve updated our target list to keep up. We’ve added a Steam VM Escape category with multiple targets. It may be a bit strange to be targeting a steam engine on an electric car, but here we are,” the organizers wrote in a press release.
“We’ll have both a Tesla Model 3 and a Tesla Model S available as targets, with the top prize going for $600,000 (plus the car itself). Of course, virtualization exploits are always a contest highlight, and VMware returns as a sponsor with VMware Workstation and ESXi returning as targets.”
For this year’s automotive category, the organizers highlighted Tesla’s multiple layers of security and designed multiple tiers of awards that correspond with some of those layers. “Contestants can register an entry against either a Model 3 (Intel or Ryzen-based) or the Model S (Ryzen-based).”
In the automotive category, there are a total of three tiers.
The contest rules further explain the tiers and their prizes.
“Along with the prize money, the first-round winner against an eligible target in this category will win a Tesla Model 3 or comparable vehicle (MSRP $46,990 (USD)) (“Tesla Prize”). If the entry targets a Tesla Model S (Ryzen-based), the Tesla Prize will be a Tesla Model 3. No additional options are included in the vehicle.”
“If the Tesla Prize is not available for whatever reason, Sponsor may substitute the Tesla Prize for (1) an alternate Tesla vehicle of equivalent value, or (2) an amount equal to the current value of the Tesla Prize payable in USD, in Sponsor’s discretion.”
For those participating in the automotive category, you’ll need to inform the contest organizer which platform or equivalent you plan to choose by two weeks before the event. The contest will be held both in-person and remotely. For those attending in person, it will be held at the Sheraton Wall Center in Vancouver for the CanSecWest conference on March 22-24, 2023.
Teslarati reached out to the Zero Day Initiative for comment, and we’ll update you when/if there’s a response.
