Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge hacked at Pwn2Own Berlin 2026

WINDOWS 11 AND MICROSOFT EDGE HACKED AT PWN2OWN BERLIN 2026

Event Snapshot

• The opening day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026 delivered a collective cash prize of $523,000 as researchers disclosed 24 unique zero-days.
• The competition focuses on enterprise technologies and artificial intelligence, and this year’s event runs in conjunction with OffensiveCon from May 14 through May 16.
• The day showcased a mix of browser, OS, and container exploits, with a notable emphasis on sandbox bypasses and privilege escalation.

Highlights of Day One

• Sandbox Escape in Microsoft Edge: A standout achievement came from Orange Tsai, who earned $175,000 by chaining four logic bugs to escape the Edge sandbox. The feat demonstrated the ability to breach containment and execute arbitrary code outside the intended security confines.
• Windows 11 Privilege Escalation: Windows 11 saw multiple successes, including three separate privilege-escalation zero-days. Contributors included Angelboy and TwinkleStar03 (collaborating with the DEVCORE Internship Program), Marcin Wiązowski, and Kentaro Kawane of GMO Cybersecurity, each collecting $30,000.
• Linux Privilege Escalation: Valentina Palmiotti (chompie) from IBM X-Force Offensive Research (XOR) earned $20,000 for a root on Red Hat Linux for Workstations, and an additional $50,000 for a zero-day in the NVIDIA Container Toolkit.
• Other notable hacks and payouts:
• k3vg3n chained three bugs to compromise LiteLLM, earning $40,000.
• Satoki Tsuji and haehae exploited NVIDIA Megatron Bridge zero-days for $20,000.
• OpenAI Codex defenses were challenged by Compass Security and maitai from Doyensec, each receiving $40,000.
• haehae disclosed a Chroma zero-day worth $20,000.
• STARLabs SG contributed a zero-day in LM Studio worth $40,000.

Current Standings After Day One

• The DEVCORE Research Team leads the competition with a cumulative total of $205,000.
• Valentina Palmiotti sits in second place with $70,000.

Competition Format and Rules

• Pwn2Own Berlin 2026 emphasizes enterprise technologies and artificial intelligence, with an on-site hacking contest hosted during OffensiveCon.
• Competitors target fully patched, up-to-date systems and must demonstrate arbitrary code execution against the target.
• The rules specify that all targeted devices run the latest operating system versions, and disclosures must be made through the established process.
• Once a zero-day is disclosed during the event, vendors have a 90-day window to release security fixes for their software and hardware products.

Second Day Outlook: Expected Targets

• Day two expands the landscape to additional targets, including:
• Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Exchange
• Windows 11 and Apple Safari
• Cursor, Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Workstations
• LM Studio, OpenAI Codex
• LiteLLM, Anthropic Claude Code
• Mozilla Firefox
• Researchers will continue to pursue exploits across a spectrum of categories: web browsers, virtualization, local privilege escalation, servers, enterprise applications, cloud-native environments, local inference, and large language model (LLM) tooling.

Potential Rewards and Industry Impact

• The competition remains highly lucrative, with researchers able to earn substantial bounties across multiple categories. The anticipated prize pool for successful zero-days often exceeds seven figures when considering all potential entries and teams.
• The event underscores ongoing strides in security research, threat modeling, and the importance of rapid patching cycles across widely used software and platforms.

Vendor Response and Timelines

• The official rules require prompt remediation, with a 90-day period granted to vendors to release fixes after a zero-day is disclosed.
• Historically, such disclosures drive accelerated security updates and improved defense-in-depth across affected products.

Contextual Notes and Industry Trends

• The Berlin edition continues to highlight a trend toward integrating AI-focused targets within traditional software security challenges, reflecting the increasing convergence of AI tooling and enterprise infrastructure.
• Past editions have demonstrated the value of collaboration between security researchers and vendors, prompting faster remediation and stronger safeguards against emerging exploit techniques.
• Observers note that the techniques demonstrated at Pwn2Own often foreshadow broader exploit trends, including sandbox-bypass strategies and privilege escalation paths that could inform defensive hardening across platforms.

Closing Perspective

• The opening day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026 set a high tempo for the week, with a diverse array of zero-days uncovered and substantial cash prizes awarded.
• As day two unfolds, participants will push deeper into enterprise ecosystems and AI-oriented tooling, testing defenses across browsers, operating systems, containers, and cloud-native services.
• The ongoing dialogue between researchers and vendors continues to drive a cycle of discovery, disclosure, and remediation that strengthens the security posture of widely used technologies.