Territorial Army and Cyber Peace Announce Winners of the Second Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2025

Close to 10,000 young cyberspace enthusiasts participated in the Cyber Quest 2025 to build stronger systems for the nation using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

The competition, designed to identify and nurture the next generation of cybersecurity experts drew record participation this year with over 6,300 teams from 1,500 institutions from IITs, NITs, IISc and leading MNCs. 75 of the brightest minds were shortlisted for the finale, where the winners were announced in the presence of senior defence officials, technology leaders, and policymakers.

Winners of each challenge category won an INR 1,00,000 cash prize. Meet the winners:

• Bug Hunting: Vishal ML (a single-member team)

• Drone Flight Anomaly Detection: Cdr Yatish Chaturvedi and Lt Col Arijeet Chandra Sen

• Quantum Machine Learning / AI Threat Detection: Ashish Bajpai, Pankaj Kumar and Subodh

The Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2025 featured two distinct tracks:

• Track One: Bug Hunting Challenge: A high-stakes cybersecurity hackathon culminating in a 36-hour live bug hunt on the BOSS Linux system. Finalists uncovered OS-level vulnerabilities in a simulated Indian Army environment, helping to build stronger systems for the nation

• Track Two: Datathon: A data-centric challenge designed to test participants’ ability to build robust technological solutions for defence and national security. This year’s focus was on Predictive Threat Intelligence and Drone flight Anomaly Detection using datasets

“The Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest was not just a competition; it was a collaborative step toward a Cyber Secure Bharat. In today’s world, every byte and every minute counts. Through such initiatives, we’re strengthening India’s cyber readiness and integrating modern technology into the core of the business of warfare”, said Maj Gen S.S. Patil, VSM in his inaugural address.

Sharing a brief about the Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest, Major Vineet Kumar, Founder & President, CyberPeace said, “The Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2025 stands as a true reflection of how cybersecurity thrives on multi-stakeholder collaboration, from defence and government to academia and industry. As the official pre-summit event of the AI Impact Summit 2026, this gathering exemplifies how India is building a strong, collaborative foundation to secure its digital future.”

The event also witnessed a series of inspiring speaker sessions, Fire Side Chat and panel discussions featuring industry experts and leaders including Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Rajesh Pant, (PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd) Former National CyberSecurity, Coordinator, PMO, GoI & Member Global Advisory Council, CyberPeace); Dr. Subi Chaturvedi (Chief Corporate Affairs & Public Policy Officer SVP-Global, INMOBI), Mr. MAKP Singh (Former CISO, GoI), Dr. Shankar Raman (CEO, IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation), Prof Dr GS Bajpai (Vice Chancellor, National Law University, Delhi), Prof Dr. Sitharaman (Chairman, AICTE, GoI), Dr. Anil Shahastrabuddhe (Chairman of NETF, Chairman of Exec Committee, NAAC and Chairman NBA); Brigadier Venkatesh on topics such as cybersecurity preparedness and ecosystem, legal frameworks for cyberspace, military-civil fusion, and evolving role of cybersecurity and AI in national security, by leaders

With initiatives like the Terrier Cyber Quest, India is shaping the next frontier of national security, where innovation, collaboration, and cyber resilience define the nation’s strength.