National-level event to address defence, cybersecurity threats to be held in Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) A national-level event to promote indigenous innovation in quantum machine learning, fostering critical thinking, and generating prototype solutions that can strengthen national security and defence technology infrastructure is set to take place in Delhi next month, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.

As part of the 'Decade of Transformation', the Indian Army's Territorial Army, in collaboration with IIT-Madras, Indian Army Research Cell (IARC) and CyberPeace, is conducting Indian Army Terrier Cyber Quest 2025, designed to "address real defence and cybersecurity threats".

'Cyber Quest' will foster innovation and collaboration in critical domains such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), quantum computing and drone technology.

The competition features two key challenges to build stronger systems for India using AI and ML, offering participants a unique platform to directly contribute to national security.

Track one will be a 'Bug Hunting Challenge' comprising a high-stakes "cybersecurity hackathon" culminating in a 36-hour live bug hunt on the BOSS Linux system. Finalists will uncover Operating System-level vulnerabilities in a simulated Indian Army environment, helping to build stronger systems for the nation.

Track two will be a 'Datathon' -- a data-centric challenge designed to test participants' ability to build robust technological solutions for defence and national security, it said.

"In the grand finale, track one finalists will engage in an attack-defence style challenge focused on critical infrastructure hacking and defence, while track two finalists will have 36 hours to develop a fully functional deepfake detection system using AI and ML," the ministry said.

It underlines the growing importance of a "robust digital defence strategy" and serves as a call to action for skilled individuals to become "warriors on the digital battlefield," the ministry said in a statement.

The initiative, advertised on the Indian Army's website, seeks to "unite India’s brightest minds from academia, industry and government to confront modern defence challenges through technology," the ministry said.

It aims to promote indigenous innovation in quantum machine learning, foster critical thinking, and generate prototype solutions that can strengthen national security and defence technology infrastructure.

The focus is on predictive threat intelligence and anomaly detection using large-scale datasets, the ministry said.

The preliminary round will be held from September 8-17, with the grand finale on September 24–26, and the award ceremony to be held on October 7.

The event will also provide cutting-edge problem statements at the intersection of AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity.

"Challenges such as drone flight anomaly detection and quantum-enhanced malware or ransomware identification will enable participants to develop advanced real-time detection systems," it added.

The winners will be honoured by Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi. They will receive prizes, recognising their innovative solutions and contributions to national security.

Desirous participants may register through the official website of the Indian Army. The registrations will remain open till September 7. PTI KND RHL