A team of students from TU Graz, TU Vienna, the University of Vienna, JKU Linz, and St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences has qualified for the final round of the DEFCON “Capture the Flag” (CTF) contest, widely regarded as the unofficial world championship of ethical hacking. The final will take place from 7 to 10 August 2025 in Las Vegas, with the Austrian team, KuK Hofhackerei, competing among the 12 best teams globally.
In the preliminary round, which featured over 1,300 teams worldwide in a 48-hour competition, KuK Hofhackerei secured sixth place, marking the first time since 2012 that an Austrian team has reached the final. The team’s success highlights the strong standard of cybersecurity education at Austrian universities.
Comprised primarily of Bachelor’s and Master’s students, along with several PhD candidates and IT professionals, the team prepares by tackling complex tasks in IT security fields like web exploitation, cryptography, and reverse engineering. They are now working intensively on specialized tools and strategies for the on-site final, where teams will compete using dedicated IT infrastructure.
“This qualification is an outstanding achievement,” said Stefan Mangard, Head of the Institute of Information Security at TU Graz. “It underlines how collaboration across universities and industry can propel Austria onto the international cybersecurity stage.”
Supported by their universities and industry sponsors, including Dynatrace, the team’s progress demonstrates the strength of Austria’s academic and tech communities in one of the world’s most vital digital fields.
Source: TU Graz
About the Author
