IBOH 2026
Open to local and international students
14 November 2026
8:30 AM to 6:00 PM
APU Campus, Kuala Lumpur
Jeopardy: Hybrid, on campus and online
A&D: Offline only
The competition
Run by students of APU's forensic and cybersecurity research centre, from an in-house contest in 2016 to an international competition.
Registration open
Two categories on 14 November 2026. Jeopardy runs hybrid, on campus and online. Attack & Defense is on campus only. Register your team for either below.
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Categories and fees
14 November 2026
| Category | Format | Team | Fee | Registration closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JeopardyNational | FormatPhysical or online | Team1 to 3 members | FeeRM150 physical, RM100 online | Registration closes2 Nov physical, 5 Nov online |
| JeopardyInternational | FormatPhysical or online | Team1 to 3 members, cross-university teams allowed | FeeUSD35 physical, USD25 online | Registration closes2 Nov physical, 5 Nov online |
| Attack & DefenseLocal teams only | FormatPhysical only | Team1 to 3 members, one organisation per team, 10 teams max | FeeRM200 per team | Registration closes2 Nov |
All deadlines 23:59 GMT+8. Shirts are provided for physical participants only.
Prizes
This year we reward the top 10 teams in both the International and Local boards. Push for the podium and OffSec PGP subscriptions and CPSA vouchers are waiting too.
Total prize value
RM40,600
Totals include the stated value of subscriptions and vouchers. Prizes for IBOH 2026.
History
From an internal contest for APU students to an international competition. Each edition raised the bar for the next.
2016–2022
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.
2023
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.
2024
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.
2025
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.
2026
14 November 2026
The next battle. APU campus, 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM, open to local and international students. Registration is open for Jeopardy (hybrid, on campus and online) and Attack & Defense (offline only).
Hosted by
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.
