Cybersecurity In-Depth: Feature articles on security strategy, latest trends, and people to know.

Highlights of the 2022 Pwnie Awards

Since 2007, the Pwnies have celebrated the good, the bad, and the wacky in cybersecurity. Enjoy some of the best moments of this year's ceremony.

12 Slides
Sophia d'Antoine, a woman in a green dress, and Ian Roos, a man in a yellow bucket hat, at a Black Hat USA 2022 podium
Sophia d'Antoine and Ian RoosSource: Karen Spiegelman via Dark Reading

It's been a month since the 2022 Pwnie Awards brought a serving of zazz to Black Hat USA. Now in its 15th year, the Pwnie Awards definitely acts its age. Like many a teenager, the show was antic, careening between silly bits, snarky jokes, and devastating critiques.

The main hosts for the evening were Sophia d'Antoine and Ian Roos, respectively founder and researcher at Margin Research. D'Antoine played it straight in a classic green dress and long white graphic jacket, dropping acid comments and bons mots. Roos was the Costello to her Abbott, decked out in the sartorial equivalent of the impulse-buy rack at a corner liquor store and occasionally drinking beer from a can. 

Red Balloon Security founder and CEO Ang Cui, who crafted the statuettes, split the difference in a tuxedo with a reversible sassy-to-classy jacket. The trio was joined by other hosts including Supriya Mazumdar, who shared a series of jokes relating to the Tesla RCE bug, such as saying that executing the exploit was like "shooting fish in Elon Musk's barrel chest."

Here is a roundup of the greatest highs, lowest lows, and most interesting twists and sparks in the world of cybersecurity.

Read more about:

Black Hat News

About the Author

Karen Spiegelman, Features Editor

Karen joined Dark Reading in January 2022 as features editor. She's been in tech editing since before the img tag was introduced, working for outlets such as the IEEE Computer Society, CNET Download.com, and TechTV. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and two cats. Find her on Mastodon.

Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox.

You May Also Like


More Insights