A hacking competition, paying cash prizes of up to $10,000, will
target the Apple iPhone and Google's Android OS among other gadgets
and software.
3Com's TippingPoint security unit is
sponsoring the prizes at the Pwn2Own contest on 18-20 March, at
the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, British
Columbia.
Smartphones running Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile will be
targeted, along with BlackBerry and iPhone gadgets.
Hackers will be asked to find vulnerabilities in e-mail, SMS,
website browsing and other applications and services.
Along with the gadgets, hackers will also be challenged to find
security holes in a variety of browsers, including the new Google
Chrome browser, running on laptops.
The hackers will not have physical access to the mobile devices,
and all vulnerabilities found cannot be fully disclosed until the
companies behind the gadgets and software have patched the
holes.
