Indian Army Cyber Quest 2026: The Territorial Army, in collaboration with the CyberPeace Foundation, has invited students, innovators, cyber professionals, and technology enthusiasts to participate in the Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2026. Interested and eligible individuals can register through the official portal by August 20. The initiative aims to strengthen India's cyber resilience by encouraging innovation and excellence in cybersecurity.
Timeline
- Registration: July 30 to August 20, 2026
- Shortlisting Phase: The online shortlisting process will be conducted from September 1 to September 10, 2026.
- Grand Finale: The competition's Grand Finale will be held from October 6 to October 8, 2026.
- Award Ceremony: The award ceremony will take place on October 9, 2026, in New Delhi.
Finalists will compete for attractive prizes, receive certificates, interact with senior Indian Army and government officials, and visit premier defence establishments.
Competition Format
Participants will first compete in an online Capture-The-Flag (CTF) challenge during the shortlisting phase. Shortlisted teams will then advance to a 36-hour live finale, where they will work on Indian Army-specific customised solutions in a simulated national infrastructure sandbox.
During the finale, teams will identify vulnerabilities, document the detected exploits, and submit links to their cybersecurity certifications or badges earned in the domain.
Participation Guidelines
Who can participate: Students, cybersecurity professionals, ethical hackers, Armed Forces personnel and researchers.
Format: A fully online CTF qualifier followed by an in-person Grand Finale. Each team can have a maximum of three members, including the team leader.
Scoring: An expert panel will evaluate submissions made during the Grand Finale based on the severity of vulnerabilities detected, methodology and complexity.
Grand Finale
The top 10 shortlisted teams will compete in the 36-hour in-person Grand Finale in New Delhi within a secure, simulated national infrastructure environment.
Participants will perform live vulnerability discovery and documentation on a customised system stack using realistic dummy data. The identified vulnerabilities will be evaluated based on their severity, originality and complexity. An expert panel will verify the findings and determine the final scores. The top three teams will be declared winners based on their overall performance.
🚨 Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 – Registrations Open! 🚨
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) August 6, 2026
The #TerritorialArmy, in collaboration with #CyberPeace, invites students, innovators, cyber professionals and technology enthusiasts to participate in the Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2026.
🖥️ Online… pic.twitter.com/dCKh7bP33l
Medallions and Certificates
The Territorial Army will award medallions and certificates to participants in recognition of their contributions and achievements during the competition.
Opportunity To Contribute To Territorial Army
Participants will have an opportunity to collaborate with the Territorial Army, work alongside defence professionals, contribute to the national defence ecosystem, and interact with senior government and military officials.
Honouring Of Winners
Awards will be presented by a senior official of the Government of India. Winners will also have an opportunity to visit key defence establishments.
About Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2026
The Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 is a national platform dedicated to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and frontier defence technologies.
Building on the success of Terrier Cyber Quest 1.0 and 2.0, the initiative aims to bring together talented individuals from across the country to develop innovative solutions for emerging cybersecurity challenges while contributing to India's cyber defence capabilities.
