pwn2own2 articles
Bixby as a Backdoor: How Two Researchers Chained Samsung's Own Apps Into a Full Device Takeover
Two security researchers from Microsoft and Mobile Hacking Lab discovered a chain of vulnerabilities in Samsung software — including the Bixby virtual assistant, Samsung Members, and Samsung Account — that could allow attackers to achieve system-level control of a Samsung Galaxy device. The exploit begins with a malicious link and chains multiple CVEs to ultimately abuse Bixby's internal "Capsule" infrastructure, enabling data exfiltration and remote code execution. Samsung has since patched the flaws, but older devices that haven't received updates remain at risk; the researchers demonstrated the attack successfully on Galaxy S24, S25, and Flip 7 models and won $50,000 at the Pwn2Own Ireland competition.
Prize-winning hacker thinks AI might make her obsolete — and she's not wrong to worry
Valentina Palmiotti ("Chompie"), the top individual performer at the Pwn2Own Berlin hacking competition, warns that powerful AI tools like Claude Mythos may soon make human ethical hackers obsolete, having already won $70,000 in prizes herself. While AI currently helps hackers work faster, she believes emerging models will quickly take over the discovery of common vulnerabilities, leaving only the most elite human researchers competitive. Despite concerns about AI aiding criminal hackers, Chompie remains cautiously optimistic that AI will ultimately benefit cybersecurity defenders more than attackers — provided powerful tools are released responsibly.