Ctrl+Win: Highlights from the Austrian Cybersecurity Challenge 2025
At the end of June, Ethical Hackers came together to compete in the Finals of the Austrian Cybersecurity Challenge 2025 for a CTF Showdown!
From June 24-26, ethical hackers from across Austria gathered in Dornbirn for the finals of the Austria Cyber Security Challenge 2025. The ACSC takes place once a year and is organized by the nonprofit association Cybersecurity Austria and the Cybersecurity Center CySec at TU Wien. The event brought together the best participants from the qualification rounds in a bid to solve Capture-The-Flag (CTF) challenges. Participants competed in two age groups and an open category: ages 14 to 20 (Juniors), ages 21 to 25 (Seniors), and an open class for anyone interested in ethical hacking, regardless of age or education.
This year, the qualification phase unfolded in two waves, presenting fresh challenges—even for seasoned ACSC veterans. Several tasks were developed in collaboration with the organizers of the German and Swiss Cyber Security Challenges, further raising the bar. During the qualification rounds, participants competed individually. The top 20 juniors and seniors advanced to the finals, where they were randomly assigned to five-person teams within their respective categories. Participants in the open class competed in teams of three. Over the course of eight hours, teams aimed to score as many points as possible by solving challenges in areas such as reverse engineering, cryptography, web security, and an on-site hardware challenge. Success depended not only on each participant’s technical expertise, but also on effective group organization and teamwork—skills that IT security professionals rely on every day to respond to cyber threats.
The importance of providing a platform for ethical hackers of all ages and backgrounds to push their limits, gain experience, and network with like-minded individuals is also highlighted by Marco Squarcina, who is part of the organizing team and senior scientist at TU Wien Informatics:
“ACSC is the main initiative in Austria to foster young talents in cybersecurity. Participants acquire and develop skills that are immediately applicable in the real world, contributing to shortening the cybersecurity skills gap and improving the overall security of our digital society. By promoting ethical hacking, ACSC also helps steer participants from using their skills for malicious purposes, guiding them to apply their knowledge responsibly. The Cybersecurity Center at TU Wien is fully committed to expanding the ACSC’s reach and impact and creating stronger ties among Austrian universities, companies, and the public sector.”
Our thanks go out to all organizers and supporters of the ACSC, and we want to express our special thanks to everyone who has helped and supported the ACSC behind the scenes! Stay tuned for more updates on Team Austria, our upcoming Ethical Hacking Bootcamp, and the European Cybersecurity Challenge.
We congratulate the winners of the ACSC 2025:
Juniors
- Hannah Fluch
- Mátyás Zsombor
- Roman Ortner
- Christopher Haindl
- Aurel Schauer
Seniors
- Lea Holter
- Jonas Heschl
- George Raul Michael Dunca
- Felix Mayer
- Christoph Tantscher
OpenClass
- Jonas Konrad
- Stephan Stöger
- Luke Finn Zamponi
About ACSC
The Austrian Cybersecurity Challenge (ACSC) is an ethical hacking initiative where people from all over Austria put their know-how to the test in two age groups and one open category. But it’s not only about the competitions: The young hackers find like-minded people and peers among themselves, as well as contact with mentors, trainers, and potential employers.
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