Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8, not Apple's Safari, will be the first browser to go.

Aaron Portnoy, security research team lead with 3Com TippingPoint, the sponsor of the Pwn2Own contest, disagrees with experts that Safari will be the first to fall in the contest, which kicks off March 24.

Computerworld reports that according to Portnoy, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8, not Apple's Safari, will be the first browser to go. He also believes that Apple's iPhone will be the only smartphone hacked during the contest.

Originally, Portnoy did believe that Safari would be the first browser to be hacked, but changed his mind after he got new information from researchers who have registered for the contest:

I have discovered that one of our very own ZDI researchers is armed and ready to take on [IE8] on the very first day. This will indeed be an impressive exploit from a technical standpoint.