Pwn2Own Ireland 2026 reveals 98 zero-day vulnerabilities

The Pwn2Own Ireland 2026 cybersecurity competition concluded in Cork, awarding a total of $1.26 million for the demonstration of 98 unique zero-day vulnerabilities. Organized by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), the event featured 29 research teams attempting to exploit various technologies, including mobile phones, smart home devices, printers, and AI infrastructure.

High-profile targets such as the Google Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S26 were successfully compromised. Ikotas Labs secured the ‘Master of Pwn’ title, earning $361,000 after successfully chaining multiple vulnerabilities to compromise the Pixel 10. The Samsung Galaxy S26 was also a major focus, being successfully exploited seven times throughout the three-day event.

Some exploits were classified as ‘collisions,’ meaning the vulnerabilities were already known to the vendors or had been previously disclosed, which resulted in reduced prize amounts for those specific entries. The competition aims to identify and disclose security flaws to manufacturers so they can be patched before being exploited by malicious actors.