MNNIT to host national-level cybersecurity hackathon

Prayagraj: Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, in partnership with Central Bank of India, has launched Cyber Security Hackathon-2026, inviting students from IITs, NITs and other government institutions to develop solutions to combat rising online banking frauds.The competition will be conducted in three stages. In the first phase, ideas and concepts submitted by the participants will be screened. In the second round, selected teams will present their prototypes and proof-of-concept models.The final round will be organised at the MNNIT campus in Prayagraj, where the best eight teams selected by an expert jury will compete for the top prize. The winning team of Cyber Security Hackathon-2026 will receive a cash award of Rs 5 lakh.Officials explained that the aim is to prevent cybercriminals from gaining access to bank accounts through phishing, stolen credentials and account takeover techniques.They added that the hackathon will focus heavily on behavioural authentication systems powered by AI and machine learning. Participants will be required to create systems capable of identifying genuine users based on their behavioural patterns instead of relying solely on passwords.If an individual suddenly attempts to log in through an unusual device or demonstrates a behavioural pattern different from regular usage, the AI-based system would immediately detect the anomaly and trigger a security alert.According to Prof. Mayank Pandey, who is part of the organising committee, participants will work on cutting-edge technologies such as AI-driven fraud detection systems, real-time cyberattack monitoring, secure digital transaction platforms and advanced data encryption methods.Online registrations for the competition will remain open until May 18 .