NIELIT Launches CYBER KUSHTI 2026 Hackathon

The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), launched CYBER KUSHTI 2026 on 15 August 2026. The national hackathon is linked to the 3rd National Conference on Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Intelligence (NCCDFI 2026) and focuses on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

NIELIT and MeitY

NIELIT is an autonomous scientific society under MeitY and works in electronics, information technology, and digital skilling. MeitY is the Union ministry responsible for policies and programmes related to electronics, IT, and cyber security in India.

Hackathon Structure

CYBER KUSHTI 2026 is open for Indian students and independent researchers aged 16 years and above. Registration is free from 15 August 2026 to 10 September 2026, and teams must consist of three members.

The competition is co-organised with the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC Foundation) under the National Security Database (NSD). The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) serves as the Knowledge Partner for the event.

Rounds and Evaluation Format

The Level 1 online round, named Akhada, begins on 15 September 2026. In this round, teams analyse and correct an intentionally flawed Security Assessment Package that contains a mix of genuine and false AI-generated findings.

The Level 2 online round, named Dangal, is scheduled for 24 September 2026. Only the top 50 teams advance to this stage, which tests adversarial reasoning in a cyber security setting.

The Level 3 physical round, named Kesari, will be held on 9 October 2026 in New Delhi. Finalist teams will defend their technical decisions in person before the organisers.

Important Facts for Exams

• CERT-In is the national nodal agency for cyber security incident response in India under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
• ISAC stands for Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a model used for sharing cyber threat information among stakeholders.
• National Security Database is associated with cyber security capacity building and threat intelligence in India.
• Hackathons are competitive events where participants solve technical problems within a fixed time limit.

Valedictory Ceremony

The hackathon will conclude on 10 October 2026 with its valedictory ceremony at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.