Hackअस्त्र 2026

Hackअस्त्र 2026 Concludes Successfully

The Ethical HCK Community, under Herald DevCorps at Herald College Kathmandu, successfully concluded Hackअस्त्र 2026, one of the largest student-led cybersecurity initiatives in Nepal. Running from 29th May to 6th June, 2026, the event brought together cyber enthusiasts, students, professionals, and industry leaders for a celebration of competitive hacking, knowledge-sharing, and community building.

With support from Herald College Kathmandu, ING Skill Academy (Mentorship Partner), Hack@Sec (CTF Partner), and community partners OWASP Kathmandu and Pentester Nepal, Hack अस्त्र 2026 lived up to its ambition of becoming a benchmark cybersecurity.

A Two-Phase Journey

Phase 1: Online Qualifier Round

The event opened with a nationwide Capture The Flag (CTF) qualifier, open to teams across Nepal. Hosted online and powered by CTF partner Hack@Sec, the qualifier challenged participants across web exploitation, cryptography, digital forensics, reverse engineering, and OSINT, with the top 12 teams advancing to the Grand Finale.

Phase 2: Grand Finale

• Day 1 opened with the Cyber Padarshan (Project Expo), where students and professionals showcased cybersecurity projects, tools, and startup ideas to judges and visitors. The day closed with the release of the Final CTF challenge for the Top 12 finalist teams.
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• Day 2 featured the Cyber Guff Panel Discussion, bringing together voices from academia, industry, and law enforcement to discuss Nepal's cybersecurity landscape, ethical disclosure, AI's growing role in cyber defense, and career pathways — followed by back-to-back speaker sessions alongside the ongoing live CTF.

The day concluded with a closing ceremony: certificates, felicitation of speakers and panelists, and an award ceremony celebrating the Winner, First Runner-up, and Second Runner-up with trophies and cheques, ending in a group photo.

More Than a Competition

Beyond the leaderboard, Hack अस्त्र 2026's panel discussions and speaker sessions engaged students, professionals, and non-technical attendees alike on cybercrime trends, responsible disclosure, and career readiness. The Cyber Padarshan Project Expo gave students a platform to showcase original cybersecurity research and tools, reinforcing the event's mission to nurture talent.