$100,000 to Researchers Who Found a Windows Vulnerability - Olmec Skip to main content

$100,000 to Researchers Who Found a Windows Vulnerability

By March 11, 2013March 6th, 2023Cybersecurity

Google has always been good about offering money to those who find vulnerabilities in their systems, and this particular case is no different. MWR Labs has won a $100,000 prize for finding a way to get into Windows from Chrome.

The Pwn2Own competition takes place every year in Vancouver. This year, MWR took a fully patched version of Google, hacked it, and then took control of Windows 7 using just the browser. MWR Labs showed people at the competition that if a Chrome user visits a malicious Web page, the page’s creator can exploit the vulnerability they pointed out to gain access to Windows 7 with little more than a keyboard and a kernel vulnerability.

The researchers said this exploit happened without changing any of the default settings in either Chrome or on Windows 7. “Google Chrome is one of the most widely used Web browsers globally, and was perceived to be the hardest target in the competition,” said the very excited researchers. “The reason Chrome was chosen as the target for the demonstration is to encourage understanding, as a security breach of this nature could expose millions of users to serious risk.”

MWR labs refused to discuss the code they exploited to get around Chrome’s security measures, but they did share it with both Microsoft and Google so both can provide patches to fix the security problem within the next few weeks.

Chris Forte

Chris Forte, President and CEO of Olmec Systems, has been in the MSP workspace for the past 25 years. Chris earned his Master’s Degree from West Virginia University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He was a past member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a current member of the New Jersey Power Partners and Executive Association of New Jersey, where he has previously served on its board of directors. In his spare time, Chris enjoys traveling with his family. He also admits to being a struggling golfer and avid watcher of college football and basketball. He currently lives in Boonton Township, NJ with his wife, two daughters, son, and black lab Luna.