Zephyr CTF 2026

Event Details: Date: 30 September 2026 Time: 10 AM - 5 PM Mode: On-campus Venue: Thakur College of Engineering and Technology (TCET), Mumbai Team Size: 1–2 Participants Format: Jeopardy-style Capture the Flag Domains Covered: Participants will encounter challenges across multiple areas of cybersecurity, including: Web Exploitation Cryptography Digital Forensics Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Reverse Engineering Linux & System Security Miscellaneous Stegnography AI/ML Each category is designed to test a different aspect of cybersecurity knowledge. Participants may need to investigate clues, analyze files, exploit vulnerabilities, decode information, inspect applications, and think beyond the obvious to uncover the correct flags. Eligibility: ZEPHYR CTF 2026 is open to students and cybersecurity enthusiasts interested in exploring practical cybersecurity through Capture the Flag challenges. The competition welcomes: Cybersecurity enthusiasts College students Beginners interested in cybersecurity Programmers and developers Ethical hacking enthusiasts Students from technical and interdisciplinary backgrounds Participants do not need extensive prior CTF experience to participate. Familiarity with basic cybersecurity concepts, Linux, networking, or programming can be helpful. Teams may consist of one to two members, and participants may form teams across different colleges, subject to the event's registration requirements. Competition Format: ZEPHYR follows a Jeopardy-style CTF format hosted on a dedicated CTFd platform. Participants will have access to challenges across different categories and can choose which challenges to attempt. Successfully solving a challenge and submitting the correct flag awards points to the team. A live leaderboard will track participant progress throughout the competition. The team accumulating the highest score at the end of the competition will be determined according to the official scoring and tie-breaking rules. Why Participate? ZEPHYR CTF gives participants an opportunity to: Apply cybersecurity concepts to practical challenges Develop problem-solving and analytical skills Explore different domains of cybersecurity Gain hands-on Capture the Flag experience Work collaboratively under time pressure Test their technical knowledge in a competitive environment Discover areas of cybersecurity they may want to explore further Whether you are attempting your first CTF or already have experience solving security challenges, ZEPHYR provides a platform to learn, experiment, compete, and challenge yourself. Rules and Code of Conduct: Participants are expected to maintain fair play and professionalism throughout the competition. Attacking or attempting to disrupt the CTF infrastructure is strictly prohibited. DDoS attacks, destructive actions, or infrastructure abuse are prohibited. Sharing flags, solutions, or challenge answers between teams is not permitted. Use of AI is permitted Participants must ensure that their submissions comply with the stated AI usage guidelines & be able to clearly explain their approach, reasoning, and how they arrived at their solutions. Participants must not attack or interfere with other participants. Challenges must be solved within the environments and scope provided by the organizers. Plagiarism, impersonation, or other forms of unfair practice may result in disqualification. Any attempt to compromise the integrity or availability of the competition infrastructure may result in immediate disqualification. Participants are responsible for bringing a functional laptop and any required personal equipment. The organizers reserve the right to take appropriate action in case of rule violations or disputes. What to Bring: Participants are advised to bring: A personal laptop Laptop charger Stable internet access / mobile hotspot as a backup A modern web browser Any personal cybersecurity tools they normally use for CTFs Flag Format: Flags will follow the designated format: OWASP_TCET{...} Participants should submit discovered flags through the official CTFd platform.