Threat Management

Tesla Model 3 up for grabs at CanSecWest Pwn2Own contest

Telsa dramatically upped the ante at the upcoming CanSecWest security conference Pwn2Own contest with the company offering up a Tesla Model 3 among other prizes to anyone who can successfully hack the vehicle.

The Zero Day Initiative said a car will be on site at the conference, being held March 20-22 in Vancouver, and the first round winner will take home the Model 3, sticker price $35,000, along with the prize money set aside for that particular challenge.

“Tesla essentially pioneered the concept of the connected car with their Model 3 sedan, and in partnership with Tesla, we hope to encourage even more security research into connected vehicles as the category continues to expand,” the Zero Day Initiative said in its blog on the contest.

The car is only one of many prizes a researcher can win, Tesla has also ponied up $680,000 in additional prize money set against 10 separate challenges. All the attacks must be executed against a Model S mid-range rear wheel drive vehicle against these target areas:

·       Modem or tuner for $100,000
·       Wi-Fi or Bluethooth for $60,000
·       Three infotainment system targets for a total of $205,000
·       Gateway, autopilot or VCSEC for $250,000
·       Autopilot DoS for $50,000
·       Key FOB or phone-as-key for $100,000

There are also two add-on prizes. One for persistence, the payload must maintain root persistence on the target over reboot for $50,000; and CAN Bus where the payload must demonstrate control of the CAN bus for $100,000.

Get daily email updates

SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news

By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.