Champion: Team CodeManzil received their RM2,000 cash prize

First Runner-Up: The UiTM team received their RM1,500 cash prize

KUALA LUMPUR – UCSI University’s home team, CodeManzil, secured first place at Flag Hunt 2025: Cyber Capture Challenge, the University’s annual cybersecurity hackathon.

CodeManzil — comprising Bachelor of Computer Science students Jawad Hassan Khan, Anas Husam Al-Eryani, Abidur Rahman Arko and Mashaal Shaker from Pakistan and Yemen — outperformed all competing teams to take home the RM2,000 cash prize.

Speaking on behalf of his team, Jawad said the competition strengthened what they learned at UCSI.

“UCSI gave us a strong foundation in both the theoretical and practical aspects of cybersecurity. Throughout our studies, we were exposed to important tools like Kali Linux and CyberChef, which helped us understand how to approach real cybersecurity challenges,” said the 22-year-old student.

The team added that strategic collaboration played a vital role in their win.

“We divided tasks based on our strengths, which helped us solve challenges efficiently. UCSI’s guidance and the hands-on experience really strengthened our teamwork and problem-solving,” they said.

They described the event as both meaningful and fun. “We just wanted to give it a try and we ended up becoming a champion. Capturing the flags was truly fun and the experience boosted our confidence in cybersecurity,” they added.

UCSI University president and vice-chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir said the team’s achievement demonstrates UCSI’s commitment to nurturing future cybersecurity experts.

“By nurturing hands-on technical competence, problem-solving and teamwork among young talents, UCSI is helping build the future of cybersecurity,” said Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah.

“Participants here represent the future leaders protecting our digital borders and guiding industries in safe digital transformation."

The event brought together 23 teams from UCSI University, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and the University of Malaya, who tackled a series of puzzles and simulated cyber incidents that tested their analytical thinking, technical know-how and teamwork.

The Flag Hunt challenge followed the global Capture the Flag format—a cybersecurity competition where participants solve puzzles, investigate digital clues and exploit vulnerabilities to “capture” virtual flags hidden within systems or files. Each flag represents a successful solution to a cybersecurity problem.

Through these challenges, students applied logical reasoning, cryptography, digital forensics, web security and system analysis skills while developing creativity, perseverance and collaboration—key traits for real-world cybersecurity professionals.

The first runner-up title went to a team of final-year Bachelor of Netcentric Computing students from UiTM, who demonstrated exceptional teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Team leader Razlan Ramli said, “I’m proud of our team—some members were new to cybersecurity, yet we collaborated and performed well. The challenges exposed us to real-life scenarios, from forensic analysis to handling malicious payloads.”

“Winning first runner-up is a big achievement for us. It taught us the importance of teamwork and leadership, which are crucial for our future careers,” he added.

Organised by UCSI’s Institute of Computer Science and Digital Innovation, this was the second hackathon hosted by the Institute.

Classified in the world’s top 1% in the QS World University Rankings 2026, UCSI University stands out as one of Asia’s leading private universities. It is ranked in Asia’s top 30 and eighth in Southeast Asia in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026.