The Challenge
The Malta National Cybersecurity Challenge was held online from Wednesday, 1 April 2026 to Friday, 1 May 2026. This annual event aims to foster a culture of cybersecurity awareness, promote information security education, and provide an engaging and enjoyable learning experience. It also serves to identify and recognise local cybersecurity talent aged between 16 and 25.
The competition was conducted on an individual basis, with participants tackling a variety of technical challenges across multiple disciplines, including reverse engineering, binary exploitation, cryptography, and web security.
Designed as a Capture-The-Flag (CTF) competition, the event welcomed participants of all skill levels, from aspiring enthusiasts to experienced professionals. In addition to gaining valuable practical experience and expanding their cybersecurity knowledge, participants competed for prizes, with vouchers worth €700, €500, and €300 awarded to the top three contestants, respectively.
Following the conclusion of the National Challenge, the final rankings were used to shortlist the highest-performing participants. These individuals were invited to attend a specialised cybersecurity training bootcamp delivered by international cybersecurity experts. This year’s trainers included organisers of previous editions of the European Cybersecurity Challenge (ECSC) CTF competitions.
Following the training programme, a final team of ten participants will be selected to represent Malta at the 12th European Cybersecurity Challenge (ECSC), which will be held in Bochum, Germany, in October 2026.
All training, travel, accommodation, and subsistence is fully sponsored by MITA.
Coaches
Brian Borg Tabone is an Enterprise Architect within MITA’s Information Security and Governance Department, specialising in cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, and security governance. He supports the evaluation, design, and adoption of security controls and technologies across Government ICT services.
Throughout his 15-year career in IT, including the last 6 years focused on cybersecurity, Brian has worked across security architecture, governance, risk management, and cyber defence initiatives. He is also actively involved in developing cybersecurity talent through coaching and mentoring Capture The Flag (CTF) teams, promoting practical skills and collaborative problem-solving
Robert Muscat is a Specialist within the Cyber Security Department and a MITA ICT Technical Fellow with a focus on cybersecurity.
He evaluates projects and oversees the adoption of technologies within Government IT solutions. Over the past 12 years, Robert was involved in Digital & Network Forensics, Incident Response, Security Engineering and Public Key Infrastructures.
Robert has been following the ECSC competitions since 2018 and in 2022, he was one of the coaches for Team Malta.
Lara Brockdorff is a Solutions Architect in the Cyber Defense & Advanced Operations team within MITA’s Cyber Security Department, where she delivers technical projects and provides consultancy related to security matters on Government IT solutions.
Lara has a background in Data Science, which she uses to bring a data driven and analytical perspective to her work. She also holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Malta.
Participants
Calvin is a cybersecurity enthusiast and CTF player specialising in binary exploitation. After discovering CTF while studying computer science, he developed a passion for offensive security and began a career in the field. Calvin enjoys understanding how things work at a low level, and currently focuses on developing his skills in vulnerability research
From a young age, Benjamin loved dismantling old computers just to see how the pieces fit together. That curiosity carried into a formal computer science education, where cybersecurity became the natural focus. Every system is a puzzle, and every security control is worth understanding well enough to break.
Vincent is a 17-year-old student at the Junior College studying Mathematics, Computer Science and Economics. From a young age, he has been tinkering with computers and has developed his skills in programming, cybersecurity, and electronics throughout the years.
Giovanni is an AI Engineer in Georgian’s AI Lab and a Master of Science in Applied Computing (AI) student at the University of Toronto. He works at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, with a focus on AI-driven vulnerability discovery and Agent Ops.
Zach was born and raised in Malta, and from a young age, he has had a strong interest in computers and artificial intelligence, which eventually led me into the world of software development. Zach, is primarily a developer by background, with a growing interest in cybersecurity and CTF challenges, an area he is still building experience in.
Michael Debono is a security researcher who focuses on blockchain technology and a ctf player mainly playing with friendly maltese citizens and having previously organized maltactf (https://2025.ctf.mt) the only international onsite ctf ever hosted in Malta,
Giorgio is currently pursuing a Master’s in Quantum Information Science and Technology at the Vienna University of Technology. His main interests lie in quantum information, cryptography, and the security of quantum hardware.
Matthew is a software developer and researcher with interests in information security and cryptography. He currently conducts research in applied cryptography at the University of Malta, where he graduated in Computer Science following a semester at Brno University of Technology. He has previously also served in a Security Analyst capacity within MITA.
Luke completed his studies at the university of Malta in 2022 and pursued a career in software development. He has participated in several cyber security related competitions with a main interest in cryptography and reverse engineering.
Matthew is a Computer Engineering student with a strong interest in cybersecurity, hardware, embedded systems and electronics. Alongside his studies, he works in cybersecurity, where he has gained practical experience across different areas of information security. He particularly enjoys hands-on technical work involving hardware, embedded devices and understanding how systems operate at a low level.
The European Cybersecurity Challenge (ECSC) is an initiative of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) that aims to identify and develop cybersecurity talent across Europe while connecting high-potential individuals with leading organisations in the cybersecurity industry.
Following three years of participation as observers, Malta competed in the ECSC in 2021 and 2022. Since then, the country has continued to strengthen its presence in the competition by nurturing emerging cybersecurity talent through national initiatives and specialised training.
The ECSC provides a unique opportunity for Europe’s most talented young cybersecurity professionals to meet, collaborate, and compete in a highly technical environment. Participants work together, network with industry experts, and further develop their skills by solving complex cybersecurity challenges.
During the competition, contestants are required to solve security-related tasks across a range of domains, including web security, mobile security, cryptography, reverse engineering, digital forensics, and binary exploitation. Teams earn points for successfully completing these challenges, with the highest-scoring teams competing for the top positions.
Our Journey to the ECSC
National Cybersecurity Challenge 2026
1st Bootcamp – Onsite Training
2nd Bootcamp – Onsite Training
Announcement of TEAM MALTA, 10 shortlisted individuals to participate in the ECSC
3rd Bootcamp – Onsite Training
European Cybersecurity Challenge in Bochum, Germany