Google patches WebKit flaw after Pwn2Own contest

Google has patched a vulnerability exploited by researchers at last week’s Pwn2Own hacking contest.

Even though Google Chrome was not hacked during the competition, the bug resided in WebKit - the rendering engine used by the browser.

WebKit is also featured in Apple’s Safari and the browser found on BlackBerry phones.

A team of researchers, including Willem Pinckaers, Vincenzo Iozzo and Ralf-Philipp Weinmann, hacked a BlackBerry Torch 9800 by exploiting the vulnerability.

On top of the US$15,000 they received for the BlackBerry hack, the researchers were handed US$1,337 from Google.

The update, in Google Chrome 10.0.648.133, only fixed the WebKit security issue.

The memory corruption bug was given a high priority ranking, but Google was not forthcoming on any additional details.

”Note that the referenced bugs may be kept private until a majority of our users are up to date with the fix,” said Jason Kersey, from the Google Chrome team.

Google has handed out over US$100,000 as part of its Chromium Security Rewards programme.

This article originally appeared at itpro.co.uk