SUCCESS STORY
Great AppSec Hackathon 2024 | CCoE DSCI x Govt of Telangana
How WUE powered an international-level cybersecurity CTF hackathon for the Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, DSCI, and the Government of Telangana, generating 10,000+ registrations from 26 countries and all 29 states of India, running a live 24-hour Capture the Flag challenge for 1,000+ participants, and directly placing 10 cybersecurity professionals within one week of event closure.
Overview
The Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, a joint initiative of DSCI and the Government of Telangana, is one of India's most credible institutional bodies working at the intersection of cybersecurity policy, talent, and industry. In 2024, CCoE DSCI decided to launch the Great AppSec Hackathon, an international Jeopardy-style Application Security Hackathon designed to identify and surface the country's sharpest cybersecurity talent. The program had to meet two goals simultaneously. First, it needed to generate genuine participation from skilled, technically proficient talent rather than inflating registration numbers with unqualified sign-ups. Second, it needed to create a credible, structured talent pipeline that industry partners could use to make real hiring decisions quickly. Running a program at this level of credibility and technical complexity requires a partner with deep execution capability, a proven platform, and the outreach infrastructure to reach the right communities at scale. WUE was brought in to own the program entirely, from platform setup and outreach strategy to judging coordination, communications management, and post-event talent delivery.
Campaign
WUE designed and executed a targeted outreach campaign across cybersecurity student communities, professional networks, university ecosystems, and technical forums PAN India and internationally. The messaging was crafted specifically for cybersecurity-minded participants, emphasising the technical rigour of the challenge format and the credibility of the CCoE DSCI and Government of Telangana association. Within just 1.5 months of the campaign going live, WUE generated 10,000+ registrations and 1.5 lakh+ brand impressions. The hackathon itself was structured across two rounds. Round 1, the Assessment Round, ran on 9th and 10th August 2024 and used MCQ-based evaluation to filter for foundational cybersecurity knowledge across participants. Round 2, the Capture the Flag Challenge, ran on 17th and 18th August 2024 as a live 24-hour competition. Over 1,000 participants competed in the CTF round, working through complex, real-world cybersecurity scenarios across categories including application security, reverse engineering, and digital forensics. WUE managed the full platform, real-time participant communications, judge and mentor onboarding, and helpdesk operations throughout both rounds, ensuring zero disruption to the participant experience at any stage.
Outcome
The Great AppSec Hackathon 2024 delivered results across every dimension of success. On participation, 10,000+ registrations were generated in 1.5 months, spanning 26 countries and all 29 states of India, a scale that positioned the program as a genuinely international event. On talent quality, 1,000+ skilled participants competed through a live 24-hour CTF, with the format itself acting as a rigorous, uncompromising filter. On hiring outcomes, top performer resumes were screened by WUE's team and shared directly with Securin, the industry partner for the program. Within one week of the hackathon closing, Securin had hired 10 cybersecurity professionals sourced directly from the participant pool, demonstrating the speed and quality of the pipeline WUE created. On program credibility, CCoE DSCI awarded WUE a repeat mandate for 2025, confirming that the execution standard met the bar set by a government body responsible for India's cybersecurity ecosystem. WUE also received a formal Letter of Appreciation from CCoE DSCI recognising the team's contribution across outreach, platform delivery, CTF execution, and post-event outcomes.
Government Recognition
Following the conclusion of the Great AppSec Hackathon 2024, WUE received a formal Letter of Appreciation from the Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, DSCI, addressed to Rishab Ilwadi, Co-Founder and CEO of WUE. The letter cited the program's exceptional reach, drawing over 10,000 global registrations from 26 countries and all 29 states of India, and specifically recognised WUE's end-to-end execution across outreach and scaling, registration management, branding, and the live 24-hour CTF round. The letter also noted WUE's support in hosting the vulnerable e-governance application used for the Capture the Flag challenge. This recognition from a NASSCOM initiative and a joint body of DSCI and the Government of Telangana reflects the level of institutional trust WUE has built through consistent, high-standard delivery on government-mandated programs.