Kohima, August 15 (MExN): The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, on Saturday launched Cyber Kushti 2026 – National Cybersecurity & AI Hackathon, with registrations formally opened by Prof. (Dr.) M. M. Tripathi, Director General and Vice Chancellor, NIELIT.
The hackathon 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. It will form a parallel technical track of the 3rd National Conference on Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Intelligence (NCCDFI 2026), scheduled for October 9-10 at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.
The initiative builds on the first NCCDFI organised by NIELIT Kohima in 2024. With the conference entering its third edition, Cyber Kushti seeks to expand the platform by providing students and independent researchers from across the country an opportunity to demonstrate their cybersecurity skills.
Speaking at the launch, Tripathi highlighted the changing nature of cybersecurity in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). He said while machines and automated tools can generate security findings faster than ever, the critical skill increasingly lies in human judgment — determining which findings are genuine, which matter most and what needs to be fixed first.
He emphasised that the ability to reason, validate and make informed technical decisions is an important capability that institutions must 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.
He said the decision to launch the hackathon on Independence Day was deliberate, adding that in an era of increasingly capable machines, independence means having “the confidence to examine what one is handed, to disagree with it, and to say precisely why.”
Er L Lanuwabang, Director, NIELIT Nagaland & Assam, said Cyber Kushti was designed to address the changing cybersecurity landscape in the age of AI.
Unlike conventional cybersecurity competitions that primarily focus on discovering vulnerabilities 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.
The competition will also test participants' ability to distinguish genuine findings from false, duplicated or incomplete AI-generated results, he said.
Lanuwabang said 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 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 will also be awarded to the winning teams, along with certificates, individual scorecards and NSD recognition credits.
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: http://nccdfi.nielitkohima.in/cyber-kushti
