More than 330 teams compete at the 2026 Cybersecurity Student Competition
(Dan Tri) - The preliminary round of the 2026 Cyber Security Student Competition took place online for 8 hours, gathering 334 teams, including 40 teams from ASEAN universities.
On the morning of September 25, the preliminary round of the 2026 Cyber Security Student Competition officially kicked off. Of the 334 participating teams, 294 teams come from 52 university and college training institutions in Vietnam; The remaining 40 teams come from universities in the ASEAN region.
The contest, hosted by the National Cyber Security Association, aims to create an environment for students to apply knowledge, practice practical skills and handle professional situations.
This year's theme is "Protecting critical infrastructure in the AI era".
The preliminary round of the 2026 Cyber Security Student Competition officially kicks off (Photo: Minh Nhat).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Colonel Dr. Nguyen Hong Quan, Deputy Director of the Cyber Security Department, Ministry of Public Security, said that cyberspace is increasingly associated with economic activities, life and national sovereignty. The development of AI also brings risks such as attacks on critical infrastructure, data tampering and threats to user safety.
Therefore, this year's theme: "Protecting critical infrastructure in the AI era" is not simply a contest topic, but a call to convergence of the times.
"No matter how modern technology is, it is just a tool. The human brain, heart and courage are the strongest shield. Computers can create algorithms, but only humans can bring them ideas, innovative thinking and courage to stand guard in digital space.
This competition is not only looking for champions, the bigger goal we are aiming for is to find future cybersecurity soldiers," Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan emphasized.
Practice exam for 8 hours
Colonel, Dr. Nguyen Hong Quan, Deputy Director of the Cyber Security Department, Ministry of Public Security (Photo: Minh Nhat).
The preliminary round takes place online for 8 hours, with teams taking the test at the same time. Schools with participating teams arrange exam rooms, manage candidates and connect directly with the Organizing Committee.
Each team has a maximum of 4 members. The exam is built in the Jeopardy format, including 6 content groups: Pwnable, Reverse Engineering, Web, Crypto/ACM, Forensic and AI/IoT. The challenges test your ability to analyze, program, practice, and solve technical problems.
The results of the preliminary round are the basis for selecting teams to enter the final round, scheduled to take place on October 16. This round has two competition tables. Group A includes 20 teams representing the 20 schools with the highest results in the preliminary round, one team per school, competing in the Attack-Defense format.
In this form, teams both protect their own systems and find and exploit weaknesses in their opponents' systems. Group B is for schools that are not represented in Group A, with the team with the highest preliminary results of each school, competing in Jeopardy format. Each school has only one team participating in the final round.
Find young cybersecurity human resources
Delegates at the Opening Ceremony of the Preliminary Round of the 2026 Cyber Security Student Competition (Photo: NCA).
The organizers said the competition not only looks for high-achieving teams but also creates opportunities for students to practice critical thinking, coordination skills and the ability to respond to cybersecurity situations.
The results of Vietnamese teams in Group A are also the basis for the National Cyber Security Association to consider nominating representatives to attend a number of regional and international competitions, such as Cyber SEAGame and ASEAN Cyber Shield.
Members of high-achieving teams can be introduced to agencies, organizations and businesses that need to recruit cybersecurity human resources.
After the final round, the organizing committee plans to deploy a number of activities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, including the UniTour program, a workshop on human resource training in the AI era and the Cyber Security Student Festival.