NIELIT launches Cyber Kushti 2026, a national cybersecurity and AI hackathon, offering students and independent researchers a platform to test their skills.
DIMAPUR — The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), on August 15 launched Cyber Kushti 2026 – National Cybersecurity & AI Hackathon, with registrations formally opened by Prof. (Dr.) MM Tripathi, Director General and Vice Chancellor, NIELIT.
Cyber Kushti 2026 is being organised by NIELIT in collaboration with the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) Foundation under the National Security Database (NSD), with CERT-In as the knowledge partner.
The hackathon will serve as a parallel technical track of the third National Conference on Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Intelligence (NCCDFI 2026), scheduled for October 9 and the 10th at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.
The initiative builds on the NCCDFI journey initiated by NIELIT Kohima with the first edition held in Kohima in 2024.
With the conference entering its third edition, Cyber Kushti aims to provide students and independent researchers from across the country a platform to demonstrate and test their cybersecurity skills.
Speaking at the launch, Prof. Tripathi highlighted the changing nature of cybersecurity in the era of artificial intelligence.
He said that while machines and automated tools can generate security findings faster than ever, human judgment remains critical in determining which findings are genuine, which are significant and what needs to be addressed first.
He emphasised that the ability to reason, validate findings and make informed technical decisions is an important capability that institutions need to develop in the AI era.
“A student from a college in any part of the country can compete on entirely equal terms with a corporate team,” Tripathi said, adding that launching the initiative on Independence Day was deliberate.
According to L Lanuwabang, Director, NIELIT Nagaland & Assam, Cyber Kushti has been designed to address the evolving cybersecurity landscape shaped by artificial intelligence.
Unlike conventional cybersecurity competitions that primarily focus on vulnerability discovery or Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges, Cyber Kushti will assess participants on their ability to reason, validate and prioritise security findings and defend their technical decisions. Participants will also be required to distinguish genuine findings from false, duplicated or incomplete AI-generated results.
The competition will be conducted in three rounds. Round 1, Akhada, will be held online on September 15, with 50 teams advancing to Round 2, Dangal, scheduled online on September 24.
The top 10 teams, comprising 30 finalists, will qualify for the Kesari Round, which will be held physically on October 9 at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, as part of NCCDFI 2026.
The winning team will be crowned “Cyber Kesari 2026” and presented with the Gada, while the runners-up will receive the titles Rustam and Pahalwan.
Cash prizes, certificates, individual scorecards and NSD recognition credits will also be awarded.
Registration is free and open to students and independent researchers participating in teams of three. Registrations will close on September 10.
NIELIT has invited students and researchers from across the country to participate in the national-level competition.
Registration and competition details are available on the Cyber Kushti 2026 portal http://nccdfi.nielitkohima.in/cyber-kushti.