About Event

# NULLGRIDS BLACK CIPHER 2K26 – Cyber Warfare Championship

**BLACK CIPHER 2K26** is a national-level, onsite Attack-Defense Capture The Flag (CTF) competition organized by **NULLGRIDS** in collaboration with the Department of Cyber Security, United Institute of Technology, Coimbatore.

Unlike traditional jeopardy-style CTFs, BLACK CIPHER places finalists in a live cyber warfare environment where every team must simultaneously defend its own infrastructure while attacking other teams in real time.

## Competition Format

### Day 1 – Preliminary Round

Participants solve challenges across multiple cybersecurity domains including:

* Web Security
* Cryptography
* Digital Forensics
* Reverse Engineering
* Binary Exploitation
* OSINT
* Steganography
* Miscellaneous

The top 15 teams qualify for the Grand Finale.

### Day 2 – Cyber Warfare Championship

The finalists compete in a live Attack-Defense cyber range where each team operates multiple vulnerable services. Teams earn points by capturing flags from opponents while maintaining the availability of their own infrastructure.

The competition includes:

* Live esports-style scoreboard
* Continuous SLA monitoring
* Real-time flag validation
* Automated scoring
* Moderator-controlled cyber range

BLACK CIPHER aims to provide students with practical experience in offensive security, defensive operations, incident response, teamwork, and strategic decision-making under pressure.

Venue:
United Institute of Technology
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Prize Pool:
₹40,000

Organized by:
NULLGRIDS

Hosted by:
Department of Cyber Security, United Institute of Technology