Google is offering $2.7 Million in hacking contest

At a Canadian security conference in March, Google will again host its Pwnium hacking contest. To draw researchers who can hack its browser-based operating system, Chrome OS, Google is putting up $2.7 million.

The 2013 contest pitted researchers against the OS using an Intel processor. This year, the contest will offer the choice of either a Intel- or ARM-powered laptop. Prizes of $110,000 and $150,000 will be awarded with the top prize going to anyone who can hack the OS and keep control of the system even after a reboot.

To qualify, winners must provide functional exploit code and details on all the vulnerabilities used.

The contest will take place March 12th at CanSecWest, Vancouver, British Columbia.

The official rules for Pwnium 4 can be found on Google’s Chromium Security page.