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Samsung Galaxy S22 hacked at Pwn2Own hacking contest [Updated]
We just covered a severe factory reset bug in Galaxy devices, while, Samsung’s latest Galaxy S22 flagship smartphone was hacked twice during the first day of the Pwn2Own Toronto 2022 hacking competition. On day 1, two contestants namely STAR Labs and Chim managed to hack the S22 third and second attempts.
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- Update: Day 3
Interrupt Labs was able to execute their improper input validation attack against the Samsung Galaxy S22 in the Mobile Phone category. They earn $25K and 5 Master of Pwn points.
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- Update: Day 2
Pentest Limited was able to execute their Improper Input Validation as the last Samsung Galaxy S22 attack in the Mobile Phone category. They earn $25K and 5 Master of Pwn points.
Pwn2Own Toronto 2022
2022 marks the 10th anniversary of Pwn2Own Toronto 2022, a consumer-focused hacking competition. For this year’s event, Pwn2Own Toronto has 26 contestants and teams attempting to exploit 66 targets across multiple categories, which also includes Samsung flagships.
- Initial: Day 1
According to the info, at Pwn2Own Toronto 2022 hacking competition, the team of STAR Labs became the first to successfully exploit a zero-day on the Galaxy S22 flagship device by executing their improper input validation attack, and won $50,000 and 5 Master of Pwn points.
Moreover, Chim, another contestant, also demoed a successful exploit targeting the Galaxy S22. Chim was able to execute an improper input validation attack and won $25,000 along with 5 Master of Pwn points. The reward amount is half since Chim got successful in the second round on the same device.
STAR Labs
STAR Labs was able to execute their improper input validation attack on their 3rd try against the Samsung Galaxy S22. They earn $50K and 5 Master of Pwn points.
STAR Labs was able to execute their improper input validation attack on their 3rd try against the Samsung Galaxy S22. They earn $50K and 5 Master of Pwn points. #P2OToronto #Pwn2Own
The team got a great video of the exploit attempt: https://t.co/69It9QBOy2 pic.twitter.com/20WyVDuV5b
— Zero Day Initiative (@thezdi) December 6, 2022
Chim
Chim was able to execute their improper input validation attack against the Samsung Galaxy S22. They earn $25K (round 2) and 5 Master of Pwn points.
Sweet calc action! #Pwn2Own #P2OToronto pic.twitter.com/3Fbi3SZE7h
— Zero Day Initiative (@thezdi) December 6, 2022
Samsung is expanding its 6 Reasons to Be Galaxy promotion. The latest series highlights Samsung Galaxy A55 and A35’s high-performance processors, powerful cameras, and long-lasting batteries.
The “6 Reasons to Be Galaxy” campaign highlights the key features and qualities of Samsung devices. The campaign emphasizes cost-effectiveness, software updates, and overall quality.
The Galaxy A series is designed to offer a fluid and reliable experience. The phones are ideal for various routines, catering to a wide range of activities such as entertainment, browsing and gaming.
Samsung’s Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 come with premium features like high-performance processors, powerful cameras, and long-lasting battery to work as true partners for everyday life.
Galaxy A55 and A35’s next-gen Exynos chip offers powerful performance, capable of running apps, games, and multimedia as well as ensuring fast responses and smooth transitions between tasks.
Samsung’s Galaxy A series smartphones allow users to spend the entire day without worrying about frequent recharges, whether they’re watching movies or exploring new games.
In the previous campaign, Samsung highlighted the Super AMOLED display with Vision Booster, long-lasting updates, 50MP camera with Nightography features, protection with Samsung Knox, and the Circle to Search feature.
At the SDC24, Samsung announced more new Galaxy AI features will arrive on A series phones. The company has recently rolled out AI-powered Circle to Search to a handful of Galaxy A series smartphones.
The One UI 7 update should further expand the Galaxy AI suite on A series models. The Galaxy A56 and A36 will launch by March 2025. Samsung may introduce more new features and upgrades for the Galaxy A series at that time.
Samsung is trying to secure CHIPS Act subsidies before Donald Trump takes charge. Joe Biden introduced CHIPS and Science Act to boost semiconductor business on American soil. However, the President-elect is a big critic of the CHIPS Act.
Bloomberg reports that the Biden administration is rushing to finalize CHIPS Act agreements with Intel and Samsung. Notably, Samsung and Intel are set to receive direct subsidies of $6.4 billion and $8.5 billion, respectively.
During his election campaign, President-elect Trump heavily mocked the CHIPS and Science Act. It is expected that Trump could put tariff on semiconductor manufacturers and nullify subsidies before disbursment.
Concerns have arisen that semiconductor companies, which have invested heavily in the U.S. over the past four years, might not receive subsidies, or that U.S. companies like Intel could be prioritized.
Intel is an American company, which could be unaffected by Trump’s presidency. As the President-elect prefers an “America First” policy, it’s an alarming situation for Samsung Electronics, which bases its headquarters in South Korea.
Since the CHIPS and Science Act is considered a key industrial policy of the Biden administration, this move is seen as an effort to finalize binding contracts and distribute promised subsidies before the administration changes.
Samsung Galaxy S24 was the tenth top-selling phone in the third quarter of 2024. The device has cracked a 6-year streak, joining the Top 10 crew in an important timeframe despite the Apple iPhone’s global dominance.
Apple reigns supreme in Q3:
Counterpoint Research revealed that iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro were the top three best-selling phones in the world. Apple managed to secure the top three positions during the iPhone 16’s release quarter.
Galaxy S24 cracks Top 10 during iPhone’s quarter:
For the first time since 2018, an Android flagship ranked in the top 10 best-selling phones in the third quarter. Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series in January (first quarter) this year, but the handset still selling well.
In a shocking twist, the vanilla Galaxy S24 ranked as the tenth best-selling phone. This marks the first time since 2018 that an Android flagship (from Samsung) has broken into the top ten during the third quarter of the year.
Analysts note that the sales of the Galaxy S24 series have been mainly driven by a strong marketing focus on its GenAI capabilities. Earlier, MX Prex TM Roh also highlighted Samsung’s reliance on the Galaxy S24 series for another quarter.
Galaxy A series is rocking, as always:
Interestingly, four Galaxy A phones secured a ranking in the top-10 list. The Galaxy A15 4G was the world’s best-selling “Android” phone in Q3 2024. The Galaxy A15 5G was the second best-selling Android and fifth best-selling phone worldwide.
The Galaxy A35 5G and A05 ranked sixth and seventh in the Top 10 chart during 3Q24. The iPhone 14, Redmi 13C 4G and Galaxy S24 ranked eighth, ninth, and tenth, respectively. Repeating: Apple’s iPhone 15 was the best-selling phone globally in Q3 2024.