Students should develop networks and work in teamwork – Dr. Harold D’Costa
CREST 2026 Cyber Literacy Competition and Prize Distribution Concluded at PCU
Pimpri, Pune (March 5, 2026) The use of online is now increasing day by day. This saves resources, labor, time, money and leads to a huge increase in sales and profits. But to use it safely, it is necessary to create awareness among the common citizens about cyber security. One should be able to identify truth and falsehood in this information network. For this, the competition organized by Pimpri Chinchwad University will definitely be useful for the students. Students should develop a strong network and work in teamwork. Cyber security is fundamentally a collaborative self-discipline, asserted Dr. Harold D’Costa, Chairman, Cyber Security Cooperation and CEO, IQSS.
Pimpri Chinchwad University (PCU) organized the largest national level inter-collegiate competition “CREST 2026 – CTF Capture the Flag” under the Cyber Security Club of the School of Computer Applications at Sate, Vadgaon Maval, Pune. More than 2000 students from IITs, NITs and government engineering colleges across the country participated in this competition.
Founder CEO of Hactify Cyber Security Dr. Rohit Gautam, PCU Vice Chancellor Dr. Santosh Sonawane, Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr. Sudeep Thepde, CEO of Hactify Cyber Security Company Dr. Shifa Saikalwala, Registrar Dr. Anil Maheshwari and HOD Dr. Kamlesh Meshram were present on the occasion.
Dr. Shifa Saikalwala said that the participation of women in cyber security is more necessary. There is a big opportunity for women in this. They should now prove themselves to be leaders. For this, they appealed to take a capable role and actively participate on such a huge platform. This platform is not just limited to college competitions but also a great opportunity for placements, machine tests, cyber defense roles and national security missions.
PCU Vice Chancellor Dr. Santosh Sonawane said that there is a need for continuous skill development in emerging technology areas like cyber security and artificial intelligence.
Pro Vice Chancellor Dr. Sudeep Thepde appealed to students to be ready to build their careers in the fast-changing digital world.
Dr. Rohit Gautam, Founder CEO, Hacktify Cyber Security, said that cyberspace should be used responsibly. Addressing India’s growing digital landscape, he expressed the need to convert passion into purpose. He said that initiatives like Project Durga are being implemented with the aim of empowering rural communities in Maharashtra through secure digital infrastructure. He also said that efforts should be made to ensure that cyber security awareness reaches every village to ensure a secure digital India.
Dr. Kamlesh Meshram said that a strong cyber security mentoring platform will continue to function at Pimpri Chinchwad University through competitions, exhibitions and industry collaborations like “CREST 2026 – CTF” of Pimpri Chinchwad Education Trust (PCET).
PCU students Prajwal Pawar, Soham Aher, Ganesh Ramawat, Atharva Jagdale, Kaustubh Patil, Kaif Tarsagar, Rituja Khobre and Vaishnavi Shetty demonstrated excellent technical skills in the design, development, deployment and rigorous testing of the CTF challenges. Their efforts resulted in a secure, capable and professional-grade platform as per national level standards for the competition. Dr. Snehankita Majlekar worked as the coordinator.
The results of the competition are as follows.
1st Place: – Ghost Battalion Team, G. H. Raisoni College of Engineering and Management, Wagholi, Pune; 2nd Place: – Chakravhu Team, G. H. Raisoni College of Engineering and Management, Wagholi, Pune; Third Place: Net Celluth Team, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune; Fourth Place: Red Fox Team, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune and Fifth Place: Dystopian Debuggers Team, Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Akurdi, Pune. The winning teams were felicitated by dignitaries with certificates and a total prize money of Rs. 6 lakh.
The event was sponsored by Alter Security, Ofsec, APISEC University, White Arrow Technology, Cyber War Fur Lab, Hack the Box Mumbai.
PCET President Dnyaneshwar Landage, Vice President Padmatai Bhosale, Secretary Vitthal Kalbhor, Treasurer Shantaram Garade, Trustee and PCU Chancellor Harshvardhan Patil, Entrepreneur Narendra Landage, Ajinkya Kalbhor, Executive Director Dr. Girish Desai congratulated the contestants, winners, mentors and organizers.
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