Google's Project Zero unveiled an Android hacking contest that aims to discover flaws on the Nexus 6P and 5X devices.
The contest promises a $200,000 top prize to hackers who find a bug chain or flaw that leads to remote code execution of a Nexus device with knowledge of only the device's phone number and email address. Second and third prize winners will be awarded $100,000 and $50,000. The contest runs until 11:59 pm Pacific Time March 14, 2017.
Nexus devices, co-developed by Google, play a primary role in the company's mobile security focus as other Google manufacturers issue patches inconsistently. In July, Duo Security found that 66% of Nexus devices had received the latest available security patches, while only 18% of non-Nexus devices contained the most recent updates.
In June, it was reported that Google was exploring plans to develop and manufacture its own non-Nexus Android devices. Last year, Google expanded its bug bounty program to include the Android operating system and mobile devices.
