NIELIT Launches Cyber Kushti 2026 Hackathon To Test Human AI Security Judgment

The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology has officially launched CYBER KUSHTI 2026, a nationwide cybersecurity and AI hackathon. Running from August 15 through September 10, the competition shifts focus from basic vulnerability detection to evaluating human judgment in complex security assessments. Teams will navigate intentionally flawed Security Assessment Packages that include AI-generated findings, source code, and application logs to identify genuine threats while filtering out false positives.

This initiative, organized alongside the ISAC Foundation and CERT-In, serves as the technical track for the 3rd National Conference on Cyber Security, Digital Forensics and Intelligence. By forcing participants to engage with imperfect AI outputs, the organizers aim to address the growing reliance on automated security tools that often produce misleading data. The hackathon highlights the critical need for human oversight in an era where AI-generated code and logs can obscure sophisticated cyber threats.

Participants will compete to demonstrate superior risk prioritization skills, setting a new benchmark for cybersecurity talent in India. The event is expected to provide valuable insights into how security professionals interact with AI-driven diagnostic tools. By the conclusion of the event in September, the findings will likely influence future training protocols for digital forensics and intelligence teams across the country, ensuring that human expertise remains the final line of defense against evolving digital risks.