HACK IIT-K Global Cyber Security Hackathon 2026 ends
Kanpur: The C3iHub, the Cybersecurity Technology Innovation Hub at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, has announced the winners of the HACK IITK Global Cyber Security Hackathon 2026, marking the conclusion of a two-day Grand Finale. This year’s hackathon focused on the theme of ‘Critical Infrastructure Security’.
Event Overview
The hackathon attracted a remarkable response, with over 9,000 registrations. Out of these, only 48 teams advanced to the Grand Finale, demonstrating the intense competition among participants.
Competition Tracks
The event featured two major tracks:
- Solution Track
- Capture The Flag (CTF) Track
Winners of the Solution Track
In the Solution Track, the following teams were awarded:
- First Prize: Team Shadow Byte from Army Institute of Technology, Pune – awarded Rs 3 lakhs.
- Second Prize: Team Nite Meowls from Manipal Institute of Technology – awarded Rs 2 lakhs.
- Third Prize: Team Blind Coders from Fr Conceicao Rodrigues Institute of Technology, Vashi, Navi Mumbai – awarded Rs 1 lakh.
Winners of the Capture The Flag Track
The Capture The Flag (CTF) Track featured a grueling 12-hour overnight cybersecurity challenge. The winners were:
- First Prize: Team Cute Cat from Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat – awarded Rs 3 lakhs.
- Second Prize: Team Diggaj from Rashtriya Raksha University.
- Third Prize: Team EHAX from Delhi Technological University (DTU) – awarded Rs 1 lakh.
Special Awards
In addition to the main prizes, special awards were presented to recognize outstanding contributions:
- Best Innovative Solution Award: Team VNITx.
- Best CTF Approach Award: Team Valium Research.
Presentation of Awards
The awards were presented by Mayur Maheshwari, IAS, managing director of UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited and UP Power Transmission Corporation Limited. Other dignitaries included:
- Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur.
- Rajiv Swarup, President of Shiv Nadar University and Senior Corporate Vice President at HCL Technologies.
- Somitra Sanadhya, Project Director of C3iHub.
- Tanima Hajra, CEO of C3iHub.
- Gulshan Rai, Former National Cyber Security Coordinator of the Government of India.
Manindra Agrawal and the other dignitaries congratulated the winners and participants of HACK IITK 2026, appreciating their efforts in addressing critical cybersecurity challenges.
Innovative Solutions Presented
This year’s hackathon encouraged participants to move beyond theoretical concepts and develop functional prototypes aimed at addressing pressing threats in the digital age. Teams showcased remarkable technical depth by solving complex problem statements in the Solution Track, including:
- Local LLM Powered Policy Gap Analysis: Developing modules capable of autonomously identifying and improving security policy discrepancies.
- Post-Quantum Cryptography: Implementing Secure OpenID Connect using KEMTLS to protect systems against future quantum computing threats.
- AI Agent Security: Engineering robust defenses for voice and multimodal AI agents against deepfakes and prompt injection attacks.
- GenTwin Technology: Leveraging Generative AI and Digital Twins to simulate industrial environments and uncover hidden cybersecurity vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure systems.
Conclusion
The successful completion of HACK IITK 2026 highlights C3iHub’s ongoing commitment to fostering innovation, strengthening cybersecurity capabilities, and nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The event not only provided a platform for showcasing talent but also encouraged collaboration and knowledge sharing among participants.
Note: The information presented in this article is based on the latest updates available as of April 2026.
