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QUAL_PHASE_01 // ACTIVE — 40 CANDIDATES ENTERED
KOSOVO CYBER TEAM // 2026 EDITION
National Cybersecurity Championship

Selecting the finest young security researchers in Kosovo to represent the nation at the European Cyber Security Challenge 2026 — Bochum, Germany. Five qualification phases. One team. One flag.

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SYS:: QUAL_PHASE_01 COMPLETE — 40 competitors /// TOP_3: Lorik Kelmendi // Senad Mehmeti // Olt Vrella SYS:: JUNIOR_LEADER: Era Dragusha /// ECSC_2026 // BOCHUM, GERMANY // OCT 12–16 SYS:: GENERAL_SPONSOR: IPKO TELECOMMUNICATIONS /// DOMAINS: REV_ENG // WEB_SEC // CRYPTO // BIN_EXPLOIT // FORENSICS SYS:: VENUE: FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING — UP /// PHASE_02 UPCOMING — STAY SHARP
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About the Initiative

The Kosovo Cyber Team is the national initiative responsible for selecting, training, and sending Kosovo's best young cybersecurity talent to the European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC) — the continent's premier competition for ethical hackers aged 14–25.

Launched officially at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Prishtina, the 2026 championship opened with hands-on training from industry professionals covering AI tools in reverse engineering and web application security — followed immediately by the first competitive qualification round.

Kosovo competes alongside 35+ nations in Jeopardy and Attack-Defense formats, spanning web security, cryptography, reverse engineering, binary exploitation, and more. Through structured phases, the team is forged — challenge by challenge.

MISSION ECSC 2026 // BOCHUM
LOCATION Prishtina, Kosovo
QUAL_PHASES 5 Rounds
PHASE_01 COMPLETE [40 entrants]
PHASE_02-05 UPCOMING
ECSC DATE Oct 12–16, 2026
FORMAT Jeopardy + Atk/Def
HOST NFITS e.V. // Germany
ECSC NATIONS 35+
STATUS IN PROGRESS ●
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Qualification Process

PHASE_01 // COMPLETE
Opening Ceremony & First Qualification Round
Officially launched at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Prishtina. 40 junior and senior candidates competed in the inaugural round. Training sessions by Robert Shala (AI tools in Reverse Engineering), Kastriot Fetahaj and Arbnor Halili (Web App Security). Top performers: Lorik Kelmendi, Senad Mehmeti, Olt Vrella — and Era Dragusha leading the junior category.
Reverse Engineering Web Security Cryptography Binary Exploitation 40 Participants
PHASE_02 // UPCOMING
Second Qualification Round
Continued competitive challenges for both junior and senior participants. The field narrows — only the strongest advance. Advanced topics introduced, difficulty escalates across all challenge domains.
Advanced CTF Field Narrows
PHASE_03 // PENDING
Expert Workshops & Technical Deep-Dives
Hands-on workshops by industry professionals. Intensive training on advanced exploitation techniques, incident response methodology, and real-world attack simulation. Candidates build depth in specialized domains.
Workshops Industry Mentors Lab Challenges
PHASE_04 // PENDING
Attack-Defense Simulation
Full-format Attack-Defense exercise simulating the ECSC final format. Teams defend live infrastructure while simultaneously attacking opponents. Real-time scoring. High pressure. Selection criteria applied.
Attack-Defense Live Infrastructure Team Format
PHASE_05 // FINAL
National Final & Team Selection
The culminating national round. Final standings determine the official Kosovo Cyber Team for ECSC 2026. Selected members begin intensive preparation for Bochum, Germany. The nation watches.
National Final Team Selected ECSC Ready
DESTINATION :: ECSC 2026
RuhrCongress Bochum, Germany
October 12–16, 2026  //  35+ Nations  //  400+ Participants  //  72-hour CTF
View ECSC 2026
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The Team

// MENTORS & COACHES
BR
Mentor
Prof. Dr. Blerim Rexha
Professor @ University of Prishtina
BJ
Mentor
Blerim Jahiu
Experienced Instructor @ Cisco
KF
Mentor / Trainer
Kastriot Fetahaj
Lead CyberSecurity Engineer @ Ptera
RS
Trainer
Robert Shala
AI Tools in Reverse Engineering
AH
Trainer
Arbnor Halili
Web Application Security
// SENIOR CANDIDATES
TOP 1
LK
Senior
Lorik Kelmendi
Student @ University of Prishtina
TOP 2
SM
Senior
Senad Mehmeti
Senior Candidate
TOP 3
OV
Senior
Olt Vrella
Security Consultant Intern @ Sentry
AM
Senior
Abian Morina
Threat Researcher @ Permiso
AA
Senior
Andi Ahmeti
Cloud Threat Researcher @ Permiso
DK
Senior
Diella Kika
Student @ University of Prishtina
PZ
Senior
Pashtrik Zogaj
Student @ University of Prishtina
// JUNIOR CANDIDATES
JR TOP
ED
Junior
Era Dragusha
Junior Category Leader
AR
Junior
Alea Restelica
Student @ Gjimnazi A. Xhuvani
AX
Junior
Andi Xhemaili
Junior Candidate
BJ
Junior
Blerim Jashari
Junior Candidate
LM
Junior
Leon Mala
Junior Candidate
NB
Junior
Nol Bekteshi
IT Security Specialist @ IPKO
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Challenge Domains

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Web Security
SQL injection, XSS, SSRF, authentication bypass, IDOR, and modern web exploitation techniques. Attack real applications. Find the flags.
Reverse Engineering
Disassemble binaries, decompile executables, unpack malware. Understand code without source. AI-assisted RE techniques introduced in Phase 01.
Cryptography
Break ciphers, crack hashes, exploit weak key generation, and attack real-world cryptographic implementations. Classic and modern protocols.
Binary Exploitation
Stack overflows, heap exploits, format string vulnerabilities, ROP chains. Low-level memory corruption at its finest. Get a shell or go home.
Attack & Defense
Simultaneous offense and defense. Your infrastructure is live. Patch your services. Exploit theirs. Real-time scoring. The ECSC final format.
Forensics & OSINT
Memory forensics, packet analysis, steganography, file carving, and open-source intelligence gathering. The trail is always there.
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Our Supporters

// GENERAL SPONSOR
// INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
// COMMUNITY & ACADEMIC
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Get in Touch

LOCATION Prishtina, Kosovo
PHASE_01 COMPLETE ●