CyberGs 5.0 · Cybersecurity & AI Hackathon

CyberGs Hackathon - Intensive 4-Weeks Training

Dear Cybersecurity Champion,

Welcome to the CyberGs Cybersecurity & AI Hackathon. This is not simply a competition to see who knows the most terminology. Across four weeks, you will be trained, assessed, challenged to research real problems, introduced to hands-on security monitoring (SIEM), encouraged to use AI responsibly, and challenged to demonstrate a functional cybersecurity solution prototype that contributes to a safer digital world.

The Central Question

"What can we research, design and prototype today to help make cyberspace safer tomorrow?"

Our Commitment to You

What you can expect from CyberGs

Structured cybersecurity and AI training.
Practical cybersecurity exercises and a controlled security monitoring environment.
Exposure to an approved open-source SIEM option and guided SIEM deployment/use.
Research, innovation and presentation challenges.
Mentorship and feedback during key stages.
Public showcases, livestreams and social media engagement.
Opportunities for recognition, prizes and People's Choice recognition.
A final opportunity to develop and demonstrate a functional cybersecurity solution prototype.

Code of Conduct

What We Expect From You

We hold our champions to the highest standards of integrity, creative problem solving, active teamwork, and responsible ethical application.

Full Commitment: Dedicated focus on every qualified stage.
Active Teamwork: Enthusiastic collaboration & communication.
Mutual Respect: Professionalism towards peers & mentors.
Original Work: Zero tolerance for plagiarism or cheating.
Timely Submissions: Strict adherence to stage deadlines.
Responsible AI: Ethical usage that elevates understanding.

Join The Cohort Discover Mission

The Hackathon Mission

Empowering Champions to Safeguard Cyberspace

To empower cybersecurity champions to research, collaborate and prototype innovative cybersecurity and AI solutions that can contribute to a safer digital world.

01. Learn

Build a common foundation in cyber defense fundamentals, threat modeling, and AI.

02. Research

Investigate a real-world threat, identify pain points, and uncover defense gaps.

03. Monitor

Gain practical exposure to open-source SIEM log monitoring in a controlled lab.

04. Innovate

Re-group into dynamic cross-functional teams to architect high-impact security concepts.

05. Prototype

Apply vibe coding and responsible AI tools to build a working defense prototype.

06. Impact

Demonstrate the functional prototype to industry judges at the global finale.

Four-Week Progression

Competition Structure: Four Weeks

A 4-week structured tournament taking 250 cybersecurity champions from foundational training to functional defense prototypes.

250 → 150 Qualify

Training & Qualifying

"Prepare the Champions"

Cyber Fundamentals: Threat modeling & asset defense.
Network & Cloud: AppSec, IAM & data protection.
AI & Generative AI: AI defense & emerging threats.
SecOps & IR: Incident response & triage workflows.
GRC & Ethics: Governance, risk & responsible tech.

Stage 1 Outcome:

Qualifying Examination. 150 participants qualify for Week 2.

150 → 50 Qualify

Research, SIEM & Video

"Research the Problem"

Threat Research: Define affected users & defense gaps.
SIEM Lab Practical: Open-source SIEM log monitoring & triage.
Video Challenge: 60–90s public awareness video.
Social Outreach: Official channel tagging & engagement.
Public Voting: Audited community engagement votes.

Stage 2 Outcome:

Research, SIEM & Voting. 50 participants qualify for Week 3.

50 → 15 Finalists

Grouping & Live Pitch

"Different Minds. One Mission."

Grouping Challenge: Dynamic cross-functional team formation.
Security Architecture: Threat model & defensive design.
Role of AI: Defensive AI intervention strategy.
Proof of Concept: Early POC concept & defense workflow.
Live Pitch: 80% Judges + 20% Public voting.

Stage 3 Outcome:

Prototype Concept & Pitch. 15 finalists qualify for Week 4.

Grand Finale

Global Prototype & Finale

"Prototype for a Safer World"

3 Finalist Teams: 5 members per team collaboration.
Functional Core: Demonstrable, working defense solution.
Solution Tracks: PROTECT, RESPOND, EMPOWER.
Responsible AI: Documented guardrails & prompt pipelines.
Threat Audit: Security validation & future roadmap.

Stage 4 Outcome:

3 final teams of 5 demonstrate prototypes at Global Finale.

Team composition changes during the competition. Participants should therefore be prepared to work in different team structures and with people from different research backgrounds.

Code of Conduct

Expectations & Commitments

We hold our champions to the highest standards of active teamwork, timely participation, and professional respect throughout all competition stages.

Attendance & Participation

Individual commitment & punctuality

Attend required sessions and activities for the stage you are participating in.
Participate actively in team activities and presentations.
Meet all published submission deadlines.
Respond to official communications.
Participate professionally in livestreams and public showcases when required.

Team Participation

Collaborative ethics & shared success

Contribute fairly to team deliverables.
Communicate respectfully.
Share responsibilities.
Respect different technical perspectives.
Give credit to contributors.
Resolve disagreements professionally.

Development Environment

VS Code, GitHub repo access, verified terminal environment across Windows, macOS, or Linux.

SIEM & Telemetry Pipeline

Analyze threat telemetry and security logs in real time via authorized open-source SIEM labs.

AI & Prototyping Tooling

Approved LLM assistance, Python/Node runtime, and demonstrable security defense prototypes.

Technical Specifications

Technical Requirements & Tools

Our solution framework ensures champions have standard access to development sandboxes, security telemetry ingest, and rapid prototyping workflows. Every tool is selected for maximum learning, reproducible research, and seamless collaboration.

Windows / macOS / Linux VS Code & Git / GitHub Open-Source SIEM Approved AI Tooling

Broadcast & Channels

Communication, Media & Livestreaming

Stay connected across all official broadcast touchpoints, community hubs, and global livestream sessions throughout the 4-week journey.

Livestream Broadcast Schedule

Live on YouTube & Official Socials

WEEK 1

Opening Ceremony & Training Highlights

Live kickoff, curriculum orientation, mentor introductions, and qualifying exam briefing.

WEEK 2

Research Showcase & Video Voting Reveal

Broadcast of top student threat research videos, SIEM triage findings, and live public poll launch.

WEEK 3

16-Team Formation & Innovation Live Pitches

Dynamic team grouping reveal, fast-paced solution pitches to judges, and live audience voting.

WEEK 4

Grand Prototype Finale & Awards Ceremony

Top 3 finalist teams pitch functional prototypes live to global cybersecurity judges and investors.

Official Channels

Direct Cohort Engagement

WhatsApp Community

Instant announcements, daily updates, and cohort team networking.

Official Email Bulletins

Detailed stage guidelines, lab access keys, and formal advancement notices.

Social Media (#CyberGs5)

Public tag campaigns, participant spotlights, and viral security education.

Join Official WhatsApp Hub

Multi-Stage Evaluation

Assessment, Advancement & Public Voting

A transparent multi-tier scoring system combining rigorous technical examinations, open-source lab audits, live pitches, and audited community voting.

Grand Prototype Evaluation

100% Expert Panel: Defense rubric covering Functional Core (30%), Threat Rigor (25%), Defensive AI (20%), UX Demo (15%), and Guardrails (10%).

Innovation Pitch & Live Voting

80% Judges + 20% Public Vote: Evaluates problem validation, defensive AI strategy, and initial POC demonstration. Top 5 teams advance.

CyberGs

Individual Qualifying Exam

100% Objective Assessment: Scenario-based cybersecurity questions and AI threat defense reasoning. Top 150 qualify.

Research, SIEM & People's Choice

Expert Audit + Public Voting: SIEM lab triage logs evaluated by judges alongside 60–90s public video engagement. Top 48 advance.

Prototyping Standards

Submission & Prototype Requirements

Clear deliverables and functional requirements required from champions advancing to the prototyping stage.

Track 01 • PROTECT

Defensive AI & Attack Surface Reduction

AI-driven automated vulnerability detection, API guardrails, prompt injection mitigation, and credential leak blockers.

Working code repository (GitHub)
Threat model & architecture diagram
3-minute video walkthrough demo

Track 02 • RESPOND

SIEM Telemetry & Incident Automation

Open-source SIEM log pipelines, real-time alert triage, automated threat hunting scripts, and incident mitigation playbooks.

Reproducible test data & telemetry log
Documented detection rules
Live dashboard or CLI demonstration

Track 03 • EMPOWER

Public Defense & Cyber Literacy Tools

Accessible user-facing security extensions, phishing detectors, SMS scam verifiers, or small-business protection plugins.

User-friendly prototype UX
Responsible AI disclosure statement
Verified setup instructions (README)

Intentional Innovation Strategy

Use of AI & Vibe Coding

AI-assisted development is an intentional pillar of the CyberGs Hackathon. For this competition, vibe coding refers to leveraging natural-language instructions and approved AI tools to rapidly research, architect, code, test, and iterate on a functional cybersecurity prototype.

Get Started

Core Evaluation

Judged on problem understanding, defensive design, prototype quality, and security awareness.

Vulnerability Audit

Identify, stress-test, and mitigate potential security weaknesses in AI-generated code.

Confidentiality

Never expose credentials, proprietary access keys, or unauthorized participant telemetry data.

Third-Party Disclosure

Transparently disclose and document all LLMs, prompt pipelines, and libraries utilized.

Governance & Integrity

Cybersecurity Ethics & Code of Conduct

Core principles ensuring lawful research, ethical AI development, and professional integrity throughout the tournament.

Authorized Research

All vulnerability testing and security analysis must strictly occur within designated SIEM cloud sandboxes.

Artificial Intelligence

AI-assisted development must elevate understanding, with documented prompt pipelines and verifiable guardrails.

Cloud & Environment

Maintain secure cloud hygiene, rotate test credentials, and protect participant telemetry data from leaks.

Zero-Tolerance Attacks

Strict prohibition against attacking production systems, participant devices, or unauthorized endpoints.

Responsible Collaboration

Foster respectful teamwork, active peer mentorship, constructive feedback, and mutual professional respect.

Integrity & Attribution

Plagiarism is strictly disqualifying. Transparently attribute all open-source packages, APIs, and datasets.

IP & Security Governance

Intellectual Property & Responsible Release

Clear standards protecting participant ownership, open-source safety, and ethical disclosure for long-term real-world impact.

Participant Ownership

Participants retain the intellectual property of their original code and research. Solutions developed during the hackathon are encouraged to adopt open-source licenses (MIT/Apache 2.0) to benefit the global defense community.

Responsible Disclosure

If a team discovers an active vulnerability or zero-day during research, it must be reported to organizers and affected vendors under coordinated vulnerability disclosure standards before any public demonstration.

Incubation & Public Benefit

Top finalists receive dedicated mentorship and post-hackathon incubation support from Panoramic Synergy Enterprises to safely scale and deploy their defense prototypes for public and institutional benefit.

WINNERS

Prizes & Recognition

Winners will pitch their ideas at the Grand Finale showcase & gain exclusive access to funding, incubation, and cybersecurity mentorship.

The top 3 teams will receive up to ₦1,000,000+ in total financial support to further develop and promote their solutions.
Showcase & presentation support for the finalists to demonstrate live to industry judges and investors.
Winners will gain exclusive mentorship, People's Choice honors & incubation access!

*Funding and awards support technical improvements and outreach activities. A required commitment to showcase the evolved solution at follow-up events. Prize distribution within teams is the team's responsibility.

TRAVEL
EXPENSES

SHOWCASE DEMO

₦1,000,000

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

CYBERGS

EXCLUSIVE
ACCESS

INCUBATION HUB

Frequently Asked Questions

Clear answers to questions about participating, qualifying, and building prototypes.

Is this a training programme or a hackathon? +

It is a four-week hackathon that begins with structured cybersecurity and AI training. Training is part of the competition foundation to equip every participant with necessary knowledge.

Do I need to be an expert to participate? +

No prior master-level expertise is required. Week 1 provides a common foundational training curriculum. You are expected to learn actively, solve problems, and contribute enthusiastically.

How many champions start the competition? +

The competition kicks off with 250 starting participants in Week 1.

How many participants qualify for Week 2? +

The top 150 highest-scoring eligible participants from the Week 1 Qualifying Examination proceed to Week 2.

How many participants reach Week 3? +

48 participants qualify from the Week 2 research, SIEM practical lab, video challenge, and public voting stage.

How many reach the Week 4 Grand Finale? +

15 finalists, organized into 3 final teams of 5, advance to develop and present the global solution prototype.

Will I keep the same team throughout the 4 weeks? +

No. Team structures change dynamically during the hackathon. Week 3 specifically reassigns participants into 16 new teams of 3 to test adaptability and innovation.

Do I have to build a production-ready application? +

No. The final objective is a functional cybersecurity solution prototype with demonstrable core features. Full enterprise cloud deployment is outside the four-week scope.

Why is SIEM (Security Monitoring) included? +

SIEM exposure gives participants hands-on experience with security monitoring, log ingest, alert investigation, and telemetry, grounding their prototype in real-world SecOps.

Can I use AI tools and "Vibe Coding"? +

Yes, within official rules. AI-assisted development and vibe coding are encouraged for rapid research and prototyping, but you must audit and remain responsible for your code's security and behavior.

Will the hackathon be livestreamed? +

Yes! Major milestones—including training highlights, research presentations, innovation pitches, and prototype judging—will be streamed live on YouTube and social channels.

Can the public vote during the hackathon? +

Yes. Public voting windows occur at designated stages (such as Week 2 and Week 3) under published auditing rules, supporting advancement and People's Choice awards.

Does public voting alone decide the technical winners? +

No. Expert judge panels independently evaluate technical merit, threat model validity, and prototype functionality. In Week 3, the ratio is 80% Expert Judges and 20% Public Voting.

Will the final prototypes definitely be deployed globally? +

The goal is to create prototypes with potential for public benefit. Public release depends on post-hackathon security, privacy, licensing, technical readiness, and sustainability reviews.