The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Hackers earned a reported $1,038,500 at Pwn2Own Toronto 2023, where contestants demonstrated 58 unique zero-day vulnerabilities. Team Viettel won the event’s Master of Pwn title with $180,000 and 30 points.
How much did hackers win?
Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), which ran the contest, reported a final total of $1,038,500 awarded across the October 24–27, 2023 event. That is the amount actually reported as awarded, not just the prize pool announced in advance. ZDI’s final results put the closing total above the headline’s $1 million threshold.
Before the contest, organizers had advertised more than $1 million in cash and prizes as available. That was a pre-event pool estimate, distinct from the final payout. The published schedule described the available prizes before competition began.
Who won Pwn2Own Toronto 2023?
Team Viettel finished first in the Master of Pwn standings, earning $180,000 and 30 points, according to ZDI’s final report. Master of Pwn recognizes the top-scoring team across the event; this result is separate from the overall prize total awarded to contestants.
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How many zero-days were demonstrated?
ZDI counted 58 unique zero-day vulnerabilities at the end of the event. A unique zero-day is a newly demonstrated flaw that was not previously known to the contest organizers.
The day-one report also noted bug collisions: successful demonstrations that relied on vulnerabilities already known to the contest. Collisions are not additional unique findings, so they should not be added to the final count of 58. ZDI reported that more than $400,000 had been awarded by the end of day one, an interim figure rather than the final payout. The day-one results describe the early awards and collisions.
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What devices were targeted?
The contest focused on connected devices commonly used in homes and small offices. ZDI’s results included successful demonstrations against specific products, including:
- Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw and Lexmark printers
- Synology BC500 camera
- Xiaomi 13 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 phones
- Synology and QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) devices
These are examples of individual targets, not evidence that every model from any listed manufacturer or product family was tested or compromised. ZDI’s later retrospective notes that wired and Wi-Fi cameras were added to the 2023 event. The 2024 retrospective and schedule provides that historical context.
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What happened to the vulnerabilities after the contest?
ZDI said the demonstrated vulnerabilities were disclosed to the affected vendors, who had 90 days to produce patches. That describes the reported disclosure process; it does not confirm that every affected product received a patch, that users installed one, or that a device is currently secure or exploitable. The event results alone cannot establish the present security status of any listed model.
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