The “KNUIA” team from Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs (KhNUIA) took first place at the inaugural Kharkiv Regional CTF Cybersecurity Championship held in Kharkiv Region. The competition brought together 12 teams representing higher education institutions, government authorities, and other organisations from across the region.

The event was held as part of the Kharkiv Regional Technological Sports Championship in the CTF (Capture the Flag) cybersecurity discipline. The KhNUIA team emerged as the tournament winner, outperforming competitors from leading educational institutions and organisations in the region.

Participants competed in practical challenges covering cryptography, network security, open-source intelligence (OSINT), web application vulnerability discovery and exploitation, digital forensics, and other areas of cybersecurity.

Second place went to the “Noctua” team from the Security Service of Ukraine Institute of the National Law University, while the regional team “0x57” finished third. The “THxISP” team, representing internet service providers, took fourth place.

The event was attended by Vitalii Lavrov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalisation, and Oleh Syniehubov, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.

The University Rector, Police General of the Third Rank Valerii Sokurenko, congratulated the “KNUIA” team on their victory, commending their professionalism, perseverance, and thorough preparation. He wished the team further achievements and success in the final stage of the Ukrainian Championship.

Following the regional stage, the top three teams will represent Kharkiv Region in the national championship finals, scheduled to take place in December.