The General Department of Cybersecurity at King Saud University organized the inaugural KSU-CTF 2026 competition, attracting more than 350 male and female students from public and private universities across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The competition aimed to develop technical skills, enhance practical application, and identify emerging talents in the field of cybersecurity.

The competition featured two training workshops, followed by a Capture the Flag (CTF) technical challenge comprising 25 challenges across six specialized domains. Throughout the competition, participants successfully captured 362 flags out of 875 available flags. The cybranos and SCC_Guys teams secured first and second place, respectively, after completing all 25 challenges, while the Cipher team ranked third after completing 21 challenges.

The competition also featured 50 electronic badges designed to be hackable, awarded based on technical merit and excellence. These badges enhanced participant engagement and motivation throughout the competition. The KSU-CTF 2026 competition reflects King Saud University’s ongoing efforts to develop national cybersecurity capabilities, bridge academic learning with practical application, identify emerging talent, and contribute to building a skilled generation of cybersecurity professionals capable of supporting the national cybersecurity ecosystem.