Kanpur: C3iHub, the Cybersecurity Technology Innovation Hub at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, announced the winners of the HACK IITK Global Cyber Security Hackathon 2026, marking the conclusion of two-day Grand Finale.The hackathon was held on the theme of тАШCritical Infrastructure Security.тАЩ The event witnessed intense competition across two major tracks тАФ the Solution Track and the Capture The Flag (CTF) Track. . HACK IITK 2026 received more than 9,000 registrations, out of which only 48 teams advanced to the Grand Finale.In the Solution Track, Team Shadow Byte from Army Institute of Technology, Pune secured the first prize and was awarded Rs 3 lakhs, while Team Nite Meowls from Manipal Institute of Technology won the second prize of Rs 2 lakhs. The third prize of Rs 1 lakh was awarded to Team Blind Coders from Fr Conceicao Rodrigues Institute of Technology, Vashi, Navi Mumbai. In the Capture The Flag (CTF) Track, participants competed in a grueling 12-hour overnight cybersecurity challenge, Team Cute Cat from Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, won the first prize winner and received Rs 3 lakhs, followed by Team Diggaj from Rashtriya Raksha University at second positon. Team EHAX from Delhi Technological University (DTU) was awarded the third prize of Rs 1 lakh. Team VNITx received the Best Innovative Solution Award, while Team Valium Research was honored with the Best CTF Approach Award.The awards were presented by IAS, managing director of UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited and UP Power Transmission Corporation Limited Mayur MaheshwariOthers present included director of IIT Kanpur Manindra Agrawal, president of Shiv Nadar University and Senior Corporate Vice President at HCL Technologies Rajiv Swarup, project director of C3iHub Somitra Sanadhya, CEO of C3iHub Tanima Hajra and Former National Cyber Security Coordinator of the govt of India Gulshan Rai. Manindra Agrawal, along with the other dignitaries, congratulated the winners and participants of HACK IITK 2026 and appreciated their efforts in addressing critical cybersecurity challenges.This yearтАЩs hackathon pushed participants to move beyond theoretical concepts and develop functional prototypes addressing some of the most pressing threats in the digital age. Teams demonstrated remarkable technical depth by solving complex problem statements in the Solution Track, including Local LLM Powered Policy Gap Analysis, which involved developing modules capable of autonomously identifying and improving security policy discrepancies; Post-Quantum Cryptography, which focused on implementing Secure OpenID Connect using KEMTLS to protect systems against future quantum computing threats; AI Agent Security, which required engineering robust defenses for voice and multimodal AI agents against deepfakes and prompt injection attacks; and GenTwin Technology, which leveraged Generative AI and Digital Twins to simulate industrial environments and uncover hidden cybersecurity vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure systems. The successful completion of HACK IITK 2026 highlights C3iHubтАЩs continued commitment to fostering innovation, strengthening cybersecurity capabilities, and nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
