Five teams from around the world have emerged as the winners of Kaspersky{CTF} 2026, beating 1,657 corporate and academic teams across a 24-hour cybersecurity competition.
The global Capture the Flag (CTF) competition concluded on August 30, with teams tackling challenges designed around real-world cybersecurity threats, from cryptography and binary exploitation to AI security and cloud-based investigations.
The winning teams were Fluid Attacks from Colombia, Security Hub from Italy, Odin from ENKI WhiteHat from South Korea, VoidSec from IKLIGHT from Morocco, and CUT from Central University from Russia.
More than 1,600 teams competed globally
Organized by Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) and Kaspersky Academy for the second consecutive year, Kaspersky{CTF} expanded on its inaugural edition.
A total of 1,657 teams from 98 countries participated, including 1,024 academic teams and 633 corporate teams.
India, Russia, and Brazil recorded the highest number of participating teams.
The competition used a Jeopardy-style format, with participants solving independent challenges to uncover and submit hidden “flags” that served as proof of completion.
31 challenges tested modern cybersecurity skills
The 2026 edition featured 31 challenges covering several areas of cybersecurity, reflecting techniques that security professionals encounter in modern attack scenarios. These included cryptography, binary exploitation, AI security, threat analysis and investigation, and cloud-based security techniques.
All 31 tasks were eventually solved, with competitors submitting nearly 17,000 flags throughout the event. Of these submissions, 5,238 were accepted.
The competition also highlighted the changing role of AI in cybersecurity contests. While participants increasingly use AI-assisted tools, Kaspersky said its most complex challenges continued to require human reasoning, creativity, and technical expertise.
Winners advance to SAS CTF in Bali
The five winning teams will now move on to the SAS CTF offline competition at Kaspersky’s Security Analyst Summit (SAS) in Bali from October 20 to 23.
There, the teams will face a new set of challenges using an Attack-Defense format, competing alongside the eight winners who qualify through SAS CTF.
The offline competition will offer a US$18,000 grand prize.
“Practical, hands-on expertise has become one of the most critical differentiators in modern cybersecurity,” said Leonid Bezvershenko, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky GReAT.
Bezvershenko added that while AI has become more prominent in competitions, the most complex challenges still depend on human insight, creativity, and deep technical understanding.
Kaspersky brings CTF finals to Security Analyst Summit
The SAS CTF finals will take place during the 18th edition of Kaspersky’s Security Analyst Summit, which brings together cybersecurity researchers, analysts, and industry professionals to discuss emerging threats and security technologies.
The Bali event will give the Kaspersky{CTF} winners another opportunity to test their skills against a different competitive format—this time defending systems while attempting to exploit their opponents’ infrastructure.
After a global online competition involving thousands of teams, the next stage will put the five champions in a more direct test of their cybersecurity expertise.
