On 15 August, the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India announced CYBER KUSHTI 2026. This is a nation-wide cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) hackathon to assess and reward human judgment regarding cybersecurity evaluation. The hackathon was formally launched by Prof. (Dr.) M. M. Tripathi, Director General, NIELIT and Vice Chancellor, NIELIT Deemed to be University, as the official parallel technical track of the 3rd National Conference on Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Intelligence (NCCDFI 2026).
The competition is being conducted in association with Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC Foundation) under National Security Database (NSD) with CERT-In as the Knowledge Partner. On 15 August, the CYBER KUSHTI registration commenced. The registration will remain open till 10 September 2026. It is free to participate in this competition. Students and independent researchers can participate in a team of three.
CYBER KUSHTI 2026 is designed to test the ability of participants to evaluate, prioritize and defend cybersecurity decisions. It is different from traditional cybersecurity competitions that mostly focus on vulnerability discovery or Capture The Flag (CTF) challenges. All teams will receive the same deliberately flawed Security Assessment Package. This package will include AI-generated findings, static analysis results, dependency and secrets scans, architecture documentation, source code and application logs.
The package will include fake, duplicate and real findings. Some real vulnerabilities will be left out on purpose. Teams will then have to produce a corrected and prioritized security assessment and defend decisions they made. The contest will reward not just finding real problems but correctly rejecting false results as well.
At the occasion, Prof. Dr. M. M. Tripathi, Director General @ NIELIT, stated ,“The most difficult part of security work has shifted. For a generation, the scarce skill was finding the problem. Today, machines generate findings faster than any team can read them. What they cannot yet do reliably is tell us which findings are real, which matter most, and what must be fixed first. That judgment is now the skill our institutions must build, and it is the only thing this competition measures.”
The CYBER KUSHTI Hackathon will be carried out in a total of three progressive rounds. These rounds are explained below :-
Round 1 - The Akhada :- The first round Akhada will be an online round. It will take place on 15 September 2026. Out of this round, 50 teams will advance.
Round 2 - The Dangal :- The second round Kesari will be held online as well. It will take place on 24 September 2026. From this round, a total of 10 finalists will be shortlisted.
Round 3 (Final Round) - The Kesari :- The final round Kesari will be held offline, i.e., in person. It will take place on 9 October 2026 at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. In this round, the 10 finalists will work under supervision before they present and defend their assessments on the main stage of NCCDFI 2026.
An eminent jury jointly formed by NIELIT and ISAC will assess the finalists of the CYBER KUSHTI 2026. This jury will comprise senior cybersecurity practitioners and experts from government, industry and academia, including National Cyber Security Scholars acknowledged under the National Security Database. The title “Cyber Kesari 2026” shall be awarded to the winning team. They will be presented with the traditional Gada. The titles “Rustam” and “Pahalwan” shall be used to give recognition to the runners-up.
Participants in Round 1 shall receive a Certificate of Participation and individual scorecards. Participants advancing beyond Round 1 shall receive NSD recognition credits. A special award will also be given for the most instructive incorrect submission, i.e., a clearly documented reasoning that has some educational value.
Source:- Press Information Bureau (PIB)
No comments yet.
Want to know More ?
Choose the type of company that you want to register to kick start your business.
Choose the type of license to operate your preferred telecommunication facility .
Choose the type of license for an effortless embarkment on your insurance business.
Choose suitable legal metrological certificate for your product and trade you are dealing in.
Choose the kind of IPR services to protect your intellectual property from theft and plagiarism.
Choose the type of license that you want to register for your technology driven finance company.
Choose the type of compliance to safeguard your business from non-adherence to laws which increases risks of penalties, fines and lawsuits.
Choose the type of certification to ensure customers of your high-quality products and services.
Transform your Business.
