APUBattleof Hackers

One day, one board, every category. Battle of Hackers is the annual capture-the-flag competition run by students of APU's forensic and cybersecurity research centre, now open to teams from anywhere in the world.

Coming soon. The CTF platform opens closer to the event.

Hosted by FSEC-SS

APU Forensic & Cybersecurity Research Centre Student Section

FSEC-SS is the student arm of the Forensic and Cybersecurity Research Centre at Asia Pacific University. Its members design the challenges, build the infrastructure and run the floor on competition day, then spend the rest of the year sharpening the skills that go into the next one.

What we set out to do

  • Give APU students a place to practise offensive and defensive security on real challenges.
  • Run Battle of Hackers every year as a fair, well-built competition for local and international teams.
  • Grow forensic and cybersecurity research skills through workshops, talks and study groups.
  • Connect students with the industry partners who sponsor and judge the competition.

FSECS.SAsia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation

A decade of battles

From an internal contest for APU students to an international competition. Each edition raised the bar for the next.

  1. Battle of Hackers 2016–2022 poster

    2016–2022

    Battle of Hackers

    The internal years

    Battle of Hackers began in 2016 as an in-house capture-the-flag for APU students. By 2022 it had grown into a full-day jeopardy board spanning reverse engineering, web, boot2root, forensics and cryptography, with RM4,000 in prizes on the table.

  2. ASEAN Battle of Hackers 2023 poster

    2023

    ASEAN Battle of Hackers

    Opening the doors to the region

    The first edition open beyond APU. Teams competed in separate ASEAN and Malaysia categories for RM15,000 in prizes, and the board gained OSINT and threat-hunting challenges.

  3. International Battle of Hackers 2024 poster

    2024

    International Battle of Hackers

    Return of the Legends

    Battle of Hackers went international on 28 September 2024, backed by PayNet, MDEC, Ant International and others, and drew university teams from across Asia.

  4. International Battle of Hackers 2025 poster

    2025

    International Battle of Hackers

    Stage 1: Jeopardy

    A hybrid edition on 8 November 2025, played on campus and online from 08:00 to 18:00, with AWS, CREST, Kaspersky and CyberSecurity Malaysia among the sponsors.

  5. International Battle of Hackers 2026 posterIncoming

    2026

    International Battle of Hackers

    14 November 2026

    The next battle. Hybrid mode, APU campus, 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM, open to local and international students. Registration and the CTF platform open closer to the date.