Google Pixel smartphone allegedly hacked under a minute at competition

The recently launched Google Pixel smartphone was hacked at the PwnFest hacking competition by a group of white hat hackers from Chinese internet security agency Qihoo 360

Google Pixel smartphone

The recently launched Google Pixel smartphone was hacked at the PwnFest hacking competition by a group of white hat hackers from Chinese internet security agency Qihoo 360. According to a report by Gadgets 360, the task was achieved by using an undisclosed zero-day vulnerability. The group won USD 120,000, which is roughly about Rs 81 lakh in cash.

After gaining remote access to the Google Pixel smartphone, the group then went on to expose all user data, which included messages, emails, phone contacts, photos, videos and even the SIM card details. They even installed unwarranted code on the device, opening Google Play and Chrome browser in the process. A message saying, "Pwned by 360 Alpha Team" would be displayed on screen whenever Google Chrome was accessed on the phone.

The Qihoo 360 team was further able to win a cash prize of USD 120,000 (about Rs 81 lakh) more by cracking Adobe Flash in 4 seconds flat and even demonstrated vulnerabilities in Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.

The team earned a total prize money of USD 520,000 (roughly Rs 351 lakh) for all this.

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