After months of preparation and hard work, Team Austria took home the bronze medal at the European Cybersecurity Challenge 2026!

From October 12-16, the ECSC, which is supported by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), was hosted in Bochum, Germany. The ECSC 2026, organized by NFITS Events gGmbH together with Nachwuchsförderung IT-Sicherheit e.V. (NFITS), brought together more than 400 young cybersecurity talents from 42 countries, competing in 35 national teams, and seven guest teams.

After three days of intense challenges, Team Sweden won the ECSC 2026, followed by Finland finishing second and Austria third. Seven additional guest countries took part in the event, with Team USA winning the guest category, followed by Canada and Australia. The battle for the positions between second and third place was particularly close, with fewer than 100 points separating team Finland and Austria, reflecting the high level of competition throughout the event.

The competition featured three different formats. In the Jeopardy-style challenge, the teams solved problems involving web security, cryptography, reverse engineering, and software and hardware vulnerabilities. The attack-defense challenge put their skills to the test as they had to keep their own services running while attacking those of other teams. For the first time, the ECSC also featured ‘Capture the Flag (CTF) Unplugged’, a new format, in which teams tackled challenges offline and against the clock.

“I’m beyond proud of the team for their performance and for the mindset they have shown throughout the competition. Three days of challenges, three separate events: Jeopardy, Unplugged CTF, And Attack and Defense. Top-4 in every single one of them. Next year, we will come back even more determined”, says Headcoach Marco Squarcina, already looking ahead to ECSC 2027, which will take place in Denmark.

The European Cybersecurity Challenge provides an excellent opportunity for young cybersecurity talents to showcase their skills and network with peers from across Europe. Success depends not only on technical expertise but also on effective communication and collaborative decision-making, highlighting the importance of international cooperation and teamwork when it comes to solving cybersecurity challenges.

Congratulations to Team Austria on this outstanding performance! We can’t wait to see where you are headed next! As always, we’re deeply grateful to everyone who has supported the event—both behind the scenes and on the front lines—your contributions make it all possible.