NIELIT launches CYBER KUSHTI 2026 cybersecurity hackathon

The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), operating under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has launched ‘CYBER KUSHTI 2026’. This nationwide cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) hackathon is designed to evaluate human judgment in security assessments rather than focusing solely on identifying vulnerabilities.

Serving as the official technical track for the 3rd National Conference on Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Intelligence (NCCDFI 2026), the initiative is organized with the ISAC Foundation and includes CERT-In as a knowledge partner. The competition aims to address the need for professionals who can distinguish genuine threats from false positives produced by automated systems.

Participants, including students and independent researchers, compete in teams of three. The format provides a deliberately imperfect Security Assessment Package containing AI-generated findings, source code, and logs. To test analytical abilities, the package includes false and duplicated findings while omitting certain real vulnerabilities, requiring teams to produce a corrected and prioritized assessment.