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Researchers Uncover $516K Worth of Car Security Flaws

1/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

At the Pwn2Own Automotive competition in Tokyo, researchers demonstrated vulnerabilities in connected car systems, including Tesla's infotainment system.
The Synacktiv team earned $35,000 for exploiting multiple zero-day bugs via USB.
On day one, researchers earned over $516,500, led by Fuzzware.io with $118,000.
The event urged automakers to patch 37 showcased vulnerabilities within 90 days.
No drive systems were compromised, but infotainment focus underscores ongoing security challenges in connected cars.

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Story summary

At the Pwn2Own Automotive competition in Tokyo, researchers demonstrated vulnerabilities in connected car systems, including Tesla's infotainment system.
The Synacktiv team earned $35,000 for exploiting multiple zero-day bugs via USB.
On day one, researchers earned over $516,500, led by Fuzzware.io with $118,000.
The event urged automakers to patch 37 showcased vulnerabilities within 90 days.
No drive systems were compromised, but infotainment focus underscores ongoing security challenges in connected cars.