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Microsoft Edge sandbox escape and Windows 11 privilege escalation zero-days demonstrated at Pwn2Own Berlin 2026

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2 unique sources, 3 articles

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Security researchers at Pwn2Own Berlin 2026, held from May 14 to May 16, 2026, demonstrated 47 unique zero-day exploits across enterprise technologies, AI systems, and virtualization platforms, earning $1.3 million in total rewards—up from the initially reported 39 exploits and $908,750 in prizes. Orange Tsai (DEVCORE Research Team) achieved SYSTEM-level remote code execution on Microsoft Exchange and a sandbox escape in Microsoft Edge via chained logic and memory corruption bugs, earning $375,000 in total. The Devcore Research Team became the overall competition winner with $505,000 in earnings after new exploits were reported, including a $100,000 Microsoft SharePoint chain by "splitline" and a $200,000 VMware ESXi cross-tenant code execution by Nguyen Hoang Thach of STARLabs SG. Six independent teams demonstrated Windows 11 privilege escalation zero-days, with awards ranging from $7,500 to $30,000. The event emphasized AI-focused targets for the first time, including coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex), AI databases (Chroma, Postgres pgvector, Oracle Autonomous AI Database), and NVIDIA infrastructure (Megatron Bridge, NV Container Toolkit, Dynamo). All exploited vulnerabilities required arbitrary code execution on fully patched systems under Pwn2Own rules. Vendors were given 90 days to address disclosed zero-days before public disclosure.

Timeline

  1. 14.05.2026 21:53 3 articles · 4d ago

    Pwn2Own Berlin 2026: Day 1 zero-day demonstrations include Microsoft Edge sandbox escape and Windows 11 privilege escalation exploits

    Updated totals and new exploit details refine earlier reporting. The total number of unique zero-day exploits is revised upward to 47, with prizes totaling approximately $1.3 million. The Devcore Research Team wins the competition with $505,000 in earnings after new exploits are accounted for, including a $100,000 Microsoft SharePoint chain by "splitline" (chaining two bugs) and a $200,000 VMware ESXi cross-tenant code execution by Nguyen Hoang Thach of STARLabs SG (using a memory corruption bug). The AI focus is clarified to include coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex) for the first time, alongside AI databases (Chroma, Postgres pgvector, Oracle Autonomous AI Database) and NVIDIA infrastructure targets (Megatron Bridge, NV Container Toolkit, Dynamo). All entries maintained the requirement of arbitrary code execution on fully patched systems under Pwn2Own rules.

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Information Snippets

  • Orange Tsai chained four logic bugs to achieve a sandbox escape in Microsoft Edge, earning $175,000 in cash rewards.

    First reported: 14.05.2026 21:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Windows 11 privilege escalation zero-days were demonstrated by three independent teams: Angelboy and TwinkleStar03 (DEVCORE Internship Program), Marcin Wiązowski, and Kentaro Kawane (GMO Cybersecurity), each earning $30,000.

    First reported: 14.05.2026 21:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Valentina Palmiotti (IBM X-Force XOR) earned $20,000 for rooting Red Hat Linux for Workstations and an additional $50,000 for a zero-day in the NVIDIA Container Toolkit.

    First reported: 14.05.2026 21:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Other notable exploits included k3vg3n chaining three bugs to compromise LiteLLM ($40,000), Satoki Tsuji and haehae exploiting NVIDIA Megatron Bridge zero-days ($20,000), and Compass Security and maitai (Doyensec) hacking OpenAI’s Codex coding agent ($40,000 each).

    First reported: 14.05.2026 21:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • haehae demonstrated a Chroma zero-day ($20,000) and STARLabs SG presented a zero-day in LM Studio ($40,000).

    First reported: 14.05.2026 21:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The DEVCORE Research Team led the competition with $205,000 in earnings, followed by Valentina Palmiotti with $70,000.

    First reported: 14.05.2026 21:53
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

  • All targeted exploits required arbitrary code execution on fully patched systems under Pwn2Own rules. Vendors receive 90 days to address disclosed zero-days after the competition.

    First reported: 14.05.2026 21:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Cheng-Da Tsai (Orange Tsai) of DEVCORE Research Team earned $200,000 after chaining three bugs to gain remote code execution with SYSTEM privileges on Microsoft Exchange during the second day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026.

    First reported: 15.05.2026 20:47
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Siyeon Wi exploited an integer overflow bug to hack Windows 11, earning $7,500 during the second day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026.

    First reported: 15.05.2026 20:47
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Ben Koo of Team DDOS escalated privileges to root on Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Workstations, earning $10,000 during the second day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026.

    First reported: 15.05.2026 20:47
    1 source, 1 article
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  • 0xDACA and Noam Trobishi exploited a use-after-free bug in the NVIDIA Container Toolkit during the second day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026.

    First reported: 15.05.2026 20:47
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Le Duc Anh Vu of Viettel Cyber Security hacked the Cursor AI coding agent for $30,000 in the AI category during Pwn2Own Berlin 2026.

    First reported: 15.05.2026 20:47
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Sina Kheirkhah of Summoning Team demonstrated an OpenAI Codex zero-day for $20,000 during the second day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026.

    First reported: 15.05.2026 20:47
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Compass Security exploited the Cursor AI coding agent for $15,000 during the second day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026.

    First reported: 15.05.2026 20:47
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The second day of Pwn2Own Berlin 2026 featured 15 unique zero-day vulnerabilities exploited across Windows 11, Microsoft Exchange, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Workstations, with $385,750 in cash awards distributed.

    First reported: 15.05.2026 20:47
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The Pwn2Own Berlin 2026 competition awarded close to $1.3 million for 47 zero-day vulnerabilities, up from the initially reported 39 exploits.

    First reported: 18.05.2026 12:45
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The Devcore Research Team won the event with $505,000 in total earnings, surpassing the previously reported $205,000.

    First reported: 18.05.2026 12:45
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Nguyen Hoang Thach of STARLabs SG earned $200,000 for exploiting VMware ESXi with cross-tenant code execution using a memory corruption bug, a previously unreported exploit at this event.

    First reported: 18.05.2026 12:45
    1 source, 1 article
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  • "splitline" of Devcore Research Team earned $100,000 for chaining two bugs to exploit Microsoft SharePoint, a new exploit not previously detailed in other sources.

    First reported: 18.05.2026 12:45
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The competition had a stronger focus on AI systems, including AI databases (Chroma, Postgres pgvector, Oracle Autonomous AI Database) and coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex), with coding agents being featured for the first time.

    First reported: 18.05.2026 12:45
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Competitors targeted NVIDIA products including Megatron Bridge, NV Container Toolkit, and Dynamo, expanding beyond earlier reports.

    First reported: 18.05.2026 12:45
    1 source, 1 article
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