Pwn2Own Ireland Day One: Over $486K Awarded for 52 Zero-Days

The first day of Pwn2Own Ireland 2024 concluded with over $486,000 awarded for 52 unique zero-day vulnerabilities.

Viettel Cyber Security (@vcslab) emerged as the early leader, securing 13 points in the race for “Master of Pwn.” Several teams demonstrated their skill in exploiting devices across categories, with significant successes in cameras, printers, and NAS systems.

One of the standout achievements came from Viettel Cyber Security researchers phudq and namnp, who earned $30,000 for exploiting the Lorex 2K WiFi camera using a stack-based buffer overflow and an untrusted pointer dereference.

Another major success was credited to Sina Kheirkhah of Summoning Team, who utilized nine bugs to navigate through the QNAP QHora-322 router and TrueNAS Mini X system, securing $100,000 and 10 Master of Pwn points.

Other notable wins included Jack Dates of RET2 Systems, who exploited the Sonos Era 300 speaker using an Out-of-Bounds (OOB) write, netting $60,000. Similarly, PHP Hooligans and Midnight Blue leveraged a bug in the Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw printer to earn $20,000. The Synacktiv team also found success with their dual bug exploit of the Lorex camera, albeit one vulnerability having been previously used, resulting in a reduced payout of $11,250.

Pwn2Own's first day featured several attempts targeting SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) devices. Viettel Cyber Security delivered another impressive result by combining four bugs—two in a router and two in a NAS—to exploit the QNAP QHora-322 and TrueNAS Mini X, earning $50,000 for their effort. Similarly, the STEALIEN Inc. team successfully exploited the Ubiquiti AI Bullet camera, flashing its lights and gaining root shell access, securing $30,000.

Despite the many successes, there were notable failures, including repeated unsuccessful attempts by Summoning Team's Sina Kheirkhah, who struggled to exploit several Synology devices. PHP Hooligans and InfoSect also encountered difficulties, failing to complete their attacks on the Lorex cameras within the allotted time.

Pwn2Own Ireland continues with three more days of high-stakes exploits, where teams will compete for the coveted “Master of Pwn” title. The current standings show Viettel Cyber Security in the lead, but with plenty of opportunities for other participants to make their mark.