Cyprus placed 24th among 42 national teams at the European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC) 2026, held in Bochum, Germany, where teams from European Union member states and other countries competed.
According to Cyprus Computer Society, team Cyprus competed in two categories, demonstrating its technical skills in cybersecurity. The competition is an initiative of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and provides a platform for identifying emerging talent, assessing capabilities in mitigating cyber threats and promoting cooperation among participating countries.
The ten members of the national team were selected through the Cyprus Cyber Security Challenge (CCSC), held online from August 2 to 9, 2026. Aged between 14 and 25, the participants included high school and university students, researchers, self-taught security specialists and young professionals.
The team comprised Marios Kailis, team leader, Christos Falas, Joseph Modestou, Christodoulos Sotiriou, Stylianos Anastasiou, Alexandros Poullas, George Voutouris, George Mavronicolas, Stylianos Stylianou and Evangelos Lioudakis.
The team’s preparation was jointly led by the Cyprus Computer Society (CCS) and volunteer mentors from the CyberMouflons cybersecurity group. Training included specialised practice environments, real-time attack-and-defence simulations and methodologies used in Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions.
Cyprus’ participation was supported by the government and involved the Office of the Commissioner of Communications, through the Digital Security Authority (DSA), the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, and the Cyprus Police.
The national team also received support from Deloitte, European University Cyprus, Frederick University, Grant Thornton, Odyssey Cybersecurity, Qsecure and XM.