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UK pentester 'killa' wins $2K Bitcoin prize in PHP2Shell CTF

By PulseAugur Editorial · [3 sources] ·

A UK-based penetration tester, known by the handle 'killa', has won a $2,000 Bitcoin prize by successfully completing the PHP2Shell capture-the-flag challenge. The contest was designed to assess the real-world exploitability of PHP2Shell, and 'killa' reportedly solved it within approximately three hours. This event highlights the ongoing engagement of cybersecurity professionals in practical challenges that test their skills against specific vulnerabilities. AI

RANK_REASON The cluster reports on a cybersecurity contest winner and prize, which falls under the 'tool' category as it relates to practical application and challenges within the cybersecurity domain.

Read on Mastodon — mastodon.social →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 3 sources. How we write summaries →

UK pentester 'killa' wins $2K Bitcoin prize in PHP2Shell CTF

How we ranked this

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0 / 100
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Newsworthiness bucket
Tool
The cluster reports on a cybersecurity contest winner and prize, which falls under the 'tool' category as it relates to practical application and challenges within the cybersecurity domain.
Source corroboration
3 independent sources
Multiple independent publishers reporting the same story raises confidence that it's real and newsworthy.
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other
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Low
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Story freshness
15 days old
Aged out of breaking-news scoring windows; ranking reflects the durable signal from the full source set.
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+1 source(s) since last score
New sources have picked up this story since our last re-score. Score will update on the next scoring pass.

Full methodology in our editorial standards.

COVERAGE [3]

  1. The Register — AI TIER_1 English(EN) · Connor Jones ·

    UK pentester 'killa' claims $2K Bitcoin prize in PHP2Shell capture-the-flag contest

    Jaydip Modhwadia beats challenge designed to test real-world exploitability of PHP2Shell in around 3 hours

  2. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    PHP2Shell: No login, no app code, no warning. What next? PARTNER CONTENT: Learn what the flaws are, how far exploitation has gone, and how to get to full covera

    PHP2Shell: No login, no app code, no warning. What next? PARTNER CONTENT: Learn what the flaws are, how far exploitation has gone, and how to get to full coverage fast with Tanium https://www. theregister.com/security/2026/ 10/26/partner-content-no-login-no-app-code-no-warning-wh…

    LINKS theregister.com/…/5305336
  3. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    UK pentester 'killa' claims $2K Bitcoin prize in PHP2Shell capture-the-flag contest Jaydip Modhwadia beats challenge designed to test real-world exploitability

    UK pentester 'killa' claims $2K Bitcoin prize in PHP2Shell capture-the-flag contest Jaydip Modhwadia beats challenge designed to test real-world exploitability of PHP2Shell in around 3 hours https://www. theregister.com/security/2026/ 10/26/uk-pentester-killa-claims-2k-bitcoin-pr…

    LINKS theregister.com/…/5305429

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