The Zeroday.Cloud competition, launched by Wiz in collaboration with Microsoft, Google, and AWS, is a large-scale cloud hacking contest offering a total prize pool of $4.5 million. It invites security researchers to identify and demonstrate zero-day vulnerabilities in widely used cloud and cloud-native software. The competition covers six categories: AI-related products (e.g., Ollama, vLLM, Nvidia Container Toolkit), Kubernetes and cloud-native components (Kubernetes API Server, Kubelet Server, Grafana, Prometheus, Fluent Bit), containers and virtualization (Docker, Containerd, Linux Kernel), web servers (Nginx, Tomcat, Caddy, Envoy), databases (Redis, PostgreSQL, MariaDB), and DevOps/automation tools (Apache Airflow, Jenkins, GitLab CE). The contest requires exploits to achieve total compromise, such as zero-click remote code execution or full container/VM escapes, indicating the severity of vulnerabilities sought. The competition culminates in live exploit demonstrations at Black Hat Europe in London. While this event promotes vulnerability discovery and responsible disclosure, it also raises the risk of increased attack attempts against cloud infrastructure as exploit techniques become public. The contest’s backing by major cloud providers underscores the importance of securing cloud-native environments. However, the competition has faced criticism for allegedly copying rules from established contests like Pwn2Own. No active exploits are currently known in the wild from this competition, but the potential for impactful vulnerabilities is high given the targeted software and prize incentives.

European organizations are increasingly dependent on cloud infrastructure and Kubernetes-based environments for critical business operations, making them prime targets for exploitation of vulnerabilities discovered through this competition. Successful exploits could lead to full system compromise, data breaches, service disruption, and lateral movement within cloud environments. The zero-click remote code execution and container escape vulnerabilities targeted could allow attackers to bypass tenant isolation, access sensitive data, or disrupt cloud services. This poses significant risks to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and services. Industries such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government agencies in Europe, which rely heavily on cloud services from AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, could experience operational and reputational damage. Additionally, the public nature of the competition and live demonstrations at a major European security conference may accelerate exploit development and threat actor interest in these vulnerabilities. The heightened threat environment necessitates urgent attention to cloud security posture and incident readiness.

European organizations should implement a multi-layered approach to mitigate risks associated with vulnerabilities targeted in the Zeroday.Cloud competition. First, maintain rigorous patch management processes to promptly apply security updates for Kubernetes components, container runtimes, web servers, databases, and DevOps tools. Second, enforce least privilege access controls and network segmentation within cloud environments to limit the impact of potential compromises. Third, deploy runtime security and behavior monitoring solutions capable of detecting anomalous container or VM activity indicative of escapes or remote code execution attempts. Fourth, conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focused on cloud-native infrastructure to identify and remediate weaknesses proactively. Fifth, implement strong authentication and authorization mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication, to reduce attack surface. Sixth, leverage cloud provider security features such as workload identity, vulnerability scanning, and audit logging to enhance visibility and control. Finally, develop and rehearse incident response plans specific to cloud compromise scenarios to ensure rapid containment and recovery.