Google offers $3.14159 MILLION in prizes for hacking Chrome OS

Google has announced the target for its third Pwnium hacking contest, to be held at this year's CanSecWest security conference, with $3.14159m in prize money for the researchers who can successfully crack its Chrome OS operating system.

And yes, that figure is derived from the first six digits of π.

The contest, to be held on March 7, will see hackers trying to subvert the operating system on a base specification Samsung 550 Chromebook running Wi-Fi. Google is offering $110,000 for a browser or system level compromise delivered via a web page, and $150,000 if the crack survives a reboot of the system. In order to claim the cash, researchers must provide Google with the full list of vulnerabilities used in the attack, along with any code used. Partial prizes will be offered for semi-successful hacks, at the Chocolate Factory's discretion.