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Tesla hacked, 37 zero-days demoed at Pwn2Own Automotive 2026

Recorded: Jan. 21, 2026, 1:03 p.m.

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Tesla hacked, 37 zero-days demoed at Pwn2Own Automotive 2026

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HomeNewsSecurityTesla hacked, 37 zero-days demoed at Pwn2Own Automotive 2026

Tesla hacked, 37 zero-days demoed at Pwn2Own Automotive 2026

By Sergiu Gatlan

January 21, 2026
07:16 AM
0

Security researchers have hacked the Tesla Infotainment System and earned $516,500 after exploiting 37 zero-days on the first day of the Pwn2Own Automotive 2026 competition.
Synacktiv Team took home $35,000 after successfully chaining an information leak and an out‑of‑bounds write flaw to get root permissions on the Tesla Infotainment System in the USB-based attack category. They also chained three vulnerabilities to gain root-level code execution on the Sony XAV-9500ES digital media receiver, earning an additional $20,000 cash award.
Teams Fuzzware.io collected another $118,000 after hacking an Alpitronic HYC50 Charging Station, an Autel charger, and a Kenwood DNR1007XR navigation receiver, while PetoWorks was awarded $50,000 for chaining three zero-day bugs to gain root privileges on a Phoenix Contact CHARX SEC-3150 charging controller.

Team DDOS also earned $72,500 for hacking the ChargePoint Home Flex, the Autel MaxiCharger, and the Grizzl-E Smart 40A vehicle charging station.
On the second day of Pwn2Own, the Grizzl-E Smart 40A will be targeted by four teams, the Autel MaxiCharger will be targeted three times, while two teams will attempt to root the ChargePoint Home Flex, each successful attempt bringing the hackers $50,000.
Team Fuzzware.io will also attempt to hack the Phoenix Contact CHARX SEC-3150 vehicle charger for a $70,000 cash reward.
Vendors have 90 days to develop and release security fixes before TrendMicro's Zero Day Initiative publicly discloses them after the zero-day flaws are exploited and reported during the Pwn2Own contest.

Pwn2Own Leaderboard Day 1 (ZDI)
​The Pwn2Own Automotive 2026 hacking contest focuses on automotive technologies and takes place this week in Tokyo, Japan, during the Automotive World auto conference, from January 21 to January 23.
Throughout this hacking competition, security researchers will target fully patched in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and car operating systems (e.g., Automotive Grade Linux).
The complete schedule for this year's automotive competition is available here, while the full schedule for the first day and the results for each challenge are available here.
The Pwn2Own Automotive 2025 competition concluded with hackers collecting $886,250 after exploiting 49 zero-day vulnerabilities.
During the first Pwn2Own Automotive contest in 2024, they collected another $1,323,750 in cash awards after demoing 49 zero-day bugs in multiple electric car systems and hacking Tesla twice.

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Related Articles:
Zeroday Cloud hacking event awards $320,0000 for 11 zero daysVMware ESXi zero-days likely exploited a year before disclosureNissan says thousands of customers exposed in Red Hat breachHacker admits to leaking stolen Supreme Court data on InstagramJordanian pleads guilty to selling access to 50 corporate networks

Automotive
Competition
Exploit
Hacking
Japan
Pwn2Own
Tesla
Tokyo
Zero-Day

Sergiu Gatlan
Sergiu is a news reporter who has covered the latest cybersecurity and technology developments for over a decade. Email or Twitter DMs for tips.

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This report details the findings of the inaugural Pwn2Own Automotive 2026 competition, held in Tokyo, Japan, from January 21st to 23rd, during the Automotive World auto conference. The event focused on identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities within automotive technologies, including in-vehicle infotainment systems, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and car operating systems (such as Automotive Grade Linux). A total of 37 zero-day vulnerabilities were successfully demonstrated, collectively resulting in $1,686,500 in cash awards distributed amongst participating teams.

Several teams achieved significant wins. Synacktiv Team secured $35,000 for chaining an information leak and an out-of-bounds write flaw affecting the Tesla infotainment system, followed by a further $20,000 following exploitation of vulnerabilities in the Sony XAV-9500ES digital media receiver. Fuzzware.io collected $118,000 after exploiting vulnerabilities in an Alpitronic HYC50 Charging Station, an Autel charger, and a Kenwood DNR1007XR navigation receiver. PetoWorks earned $50,000 by chaining three zero-day bugs to gain root privileges on a Phoenix Contact CHARX SEC-3150 charging controller. DDOS secured $72,500 by exploiting vulnerabilities in the ChargePoint Home Flex, the Autel MaxiCharger, and the Grizzl-E Smart 40A vehicle charging station.

The competition’s success builds upon previous Pwn2Own events, notably the 2025 contest, which yielded $886,250 across 49 zero-day vulnerabilities, with Tesla being highlighted twice. The Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), through TrendMicro, established a 90-day window for vendors to address the discovered vulnerabilities before publicly disclosing them. This aligns with established practice in the cybersecurity industry to allow manufacturers sufficient time to implement security patches.

The event’s focus encompassed a variety of automotive systems, indicating a broadening scope of vulnerability assessment within the rapidly evolving landscape of connected and electric vehicles. The reported exploits demonstrate the critical need for robust security measures across these complex systems, particularly given the increasingly interconnected nature of modern vehicles. The competition’s results underscore the importance of proactive vulnerability research and responsible disclosure within the automotive sector.