Tesla Enters Model 3 in Pwn2Own Hacking Contest for First Time
Tesla offers a Model 3 as the grand prize in this year's Pwn2Own hacking competition, marking the first time a car serves as a target. The move highlights Tesla's ongoing collaboration with the cybersecurity community to find and fix vehicle vulnerabilities.
Tesla provides a Model 3 sedan as the target and grand prize in this year's Pwn2Own Vancouver hacking competition, marking the first time a car is included in the event. The annual contest, run by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative, features five categories targeting major tech companies and takes place in March alongside the CanSec West conference.
This decision reflects Tesla's strong, ongoing relationship with the hacker community since the launch of its bug bounty program in 2014. The automaker currently offers rewards up to $15,000 and provides a "safe harbor" policy that ensures researchers do not void their warranties or face penalties if they brick their vehicles during good-faith security testing.
Because Tesla vehicles rely heavily on software and over-the-air updates, the company views independent security research as a crucial tool for protecting drivers. Past discoveries from the hacker community lead to significant security improvements, such as cryptographic software validation and the PIN-to-Drive feature designed to prevent key fob relay attacks.