CYBER KUSHTI 2026

Why in news?

CYBER KUSHTI 2026 a national Cybersecurity and AI Hackathon launched recently.

• Launched by – National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT).
• Nodal ministry – Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
• Conducted in collaboration with – ISAC Foundation under the National Security Database (NSD) with CERT-In as Knowledge Partner.
• Focuses on – human judgment in cybersecurity, rather than only detecting vulnerabilities.
• Teams will receive a security assessment containing genuine, false, duplicate and missed vulnerabilities generated through different security tools and AI systems.
• Participants must identify real threats, reject false findings, prioritise risks and justify their decisions.
  • Participants may use AI tools of their choice.
• The competition has 3 rounds:
  • Round 1 - Akhada – Online round on 15 September; 50 teams qualify.
  • Round 2 - Dangal – Online round on 24 September; 10 teams qualify for the final.
  • Final round - Kesari – Final on 9 October at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.
• The final will compare machine-generated analysis with human judgment.
• Participation – free and open to students and independent researchers in teams of three.
• Recognition – The winner will receive the title “Cyber Kesari 2026”.
  • while runners-up will be recognised as “Rustam” and “Pahalwan.”
  • Participants will receive certificates and scorecards, while teams progressing beyond Round 1 will receive NSD recognition credits.
• The final will be held as part of the 3rd National Conference on Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Intelligence (NCCDFI 2026).

Quick facts

Reference

PIB| CYBER KUSHTI 2026