The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), launched CYBER KUSHTI 2026 on August 15, 2026. This national cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence hackathon represents an official parallel technical track of the 3rd National Conference on Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Intelligence (NCCDFI 2026).
The competition is conducted in collaboration with the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC Foundation) under the National Security Database (NSD), with CERT-In serving as the Knowledge Partner. Registration opened on August 15th and will remain open until September 10, 2026, with free participation available to students and independent researchers in teams of three.
Unlike conventional cybersecurity competitions focused on vulnerability discovery or Capture The Flag challenges, CYBER KUSHTI 2026 is specifically designed to assess participants' ability to evaluate, prioritize, and defend cybersecurity decisions. Each team will receive an identical and deliberately imperfect Security Assessment Package containing AI-generated findings, static analysis outputs, dependency and secrets scans, architecture documentation, source code, and application logs. The package will contain false, duplicated, and genuine findings while deliberately omitting some actual vulnerabilities.
The competition format includes three progressive rounds: Round 1 (The Akhada) as an online round on September 15, 2026, advancing 50 teams; Round 2 (The Dangal) as an online round on September 24, 2026, selecting 10 finalist teams; and the Final Round (The Kesari) to be held in person on October 9, 2026 at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. During the final round, an automated analysis of the same assessment material will be displayed alongside teams' presentations, allowing delegates to observe differences between machine-generated analysis and expert human judgment.
Recognition includes the winning team receiving the title "Cyber Kesari 2026" and presented with the traditional Gada, while runners-up will be recognized with the titles "Rustam" and "Pahalwan." All Round 1 participants will receive a Certificate of Participation and individual scorecard, while participants advancing beyond Round 1 will receive NSD recognition credits. A special award will recognize the most instructive incorrect submission that demonstrates clearly documented reasoning with instructional value.
The competition emphasizes a controlled and safe environment where all activities are conducted within provided controlled environments, with no engagement with live systems, third parties, or public infrastructure permitted at any stage.