Tesla offers $1 million to white hat hackers if they can breach the Model 3's systems

Tesla has been heavily investing in cybersecurity over the last couple of years. The electric automaker recently turned to Pwn2Own, a hacking competition held in Vancouver and run by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI). Tesla is challenging white hat hackers to breach the systems on the best-selling car in its fleet, the Model 3.

As a reward for hacking into the car, Tesla is offering over $1 million dollars in cash and other prizes, including a brand-new Model 3. ZDI confirmed that Tesla would be a big-name sponsor for the event’s automotive category. These challenges are not uncommon among automakers and other manufacturers.

While a million dollars may seem like a substantially large amount, it pales in comparison to the cost an automaker would have to bear in the wake of a major security flaw in one of its vehicles. Such hacking challenges with friendly white hat hackers enable a company to put the security system on its cars to the test, which is becoming ever-so-important as automobiles become more reliant on computer systems. Beyond identifying potential threats, a competition like this will allow Tesla to address areas in the system that may be improved.

Tesla and Trend Micro will hand out cash up to $500,000 and Model 3 cars to individuals who can crack the top layer of security, which entails completely compromising the systems on a Model 3. Additionally, a contestant ticking off a few hacks in extra categories will earn up to $200,000 over the half a million dollars.

The second tier of prizes will earn hackers a maximum of half a million dollars by challenging them to compromise the car’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or infotainment. The rewards are divided into different tiers, depending on the level of difficulty of the hack,

Although Tesla is confident in its cybersecurity measures, it still wants to stay on top of things. The massive payouts indicate that cracking the Model 3’s system will be anything but a walk in the park. The challenge will take place during the CanSecWest conference being held from March 18 to 20.