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The $300,000 figure was the maximum prize offered for a zero-click WhatsApp exploit at Pwn2Own Ireland 2024—not money a researcher took home. Zero Day Initiative later said nobody attempted the WhatsApp category at that event.
What the 2024 WhatsApp prizes covered
Pwn2Own Ireland 2024 ran October 22–25 in Cork. SecurityWeek reported that the contest introduced a messenger-app category targeting WhatsApp, with separate maximum prizes for zero-click and one-click exploits. The amounts were potential contest awards, not guaranteed payments. SecurityWeek’s 2024 report described the offers as follows:
| Option | Interaction implied by the option | Maximum reported prize |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-click WhatsApp exploit | No victim action required | $300,000 |
| One-click WhatsApp exploit | Victim action required | $200,000 |
The labels distinguish the amount of user interaction involved: zero-click means the attack would not require the victim to take an action, while one-click involves an action such as clicking. These descriptions explain the distinction in the reported category names; the available 2024 report does not establish a full technical eligibility specification. Rules published for later editions should not be treated as the 2024 rules.
Was the $300,000 prize claimed?
No. In a later announcement, the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) said no one attempted the WhatsApp category at Pwn2Own Ireland 2024. The $300,000 was therefore an offered maximum, not a reported payout. ZDI’s 2025 announcement also noted that the category had debuted the previous year.
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How the WhatsApp offer changed in later editions
The figures changed from one Pwn2Own Ireland edition to another. The following amounts are for their named years and should not be read as prizes available in 2024:
| Edition | Zero-click RCE maximum | One-click RCE maximum | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $300,000 for a zero-click WhatsApp exploit, as reported by SecurityWeek | $200,000 for a one-click WhatsApp exploit, as reported by SecurityWeek | SecurityWeek |
| 2025 | $1,000,000 | $500,000 | ZDI’s 2025 rules |
| 2026 | $300,000 | $200,000 | ZDI’s 2026 rules |
The 2025 and 2026 amounts are specifically for remote code execution (RCE) options under those editions’ rules. ZDI’s 2026 rules schedule that contest for October 6–9 in Cork; those are forward-looking event details and may change.
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How the WhatsApp category fit into the 2024 event
The WhatsApp prize was one part of a broader vulnerability contest, not the source of the event’s overall payout. Trend Micro’s retrospective says Pwn2Own Ireland 2024 awarded more than $1 million for over 70 unique zero-day vulnerabilities during four days. That event-wide total does not indicate that any of the money went to a WhatsApp exploit. Trend Micro’s event retrospective reports the overall figures.
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