Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s cybersecurity research club, Team bi0s, achieved a remarkable triumph on October 22, 2023, at India’s most prestigious cybersecurity competition, Trust Lab CTF, organized in collaboration with IIT Bombay. Team bi0s research club is driven by a passion for cybersecurity and guided by their chief mentor, Mr. Vipin Pavithran.

For over five years, Team bi0s have consistently ranked as the number one team in India, participating in numerous international Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions worldwide. Their excellence has even seen them representing India in various global CTF finals.

The duo team named “w3libz”, representing Team bi0s, consisting of third-year student Sanjay Vardhan Padala (CSE) and Fourth year student Aneesh Nadh (EAC) competed against the best cyber talent in India to win the first prize in the competition at IIT Bombay bagging a cash award of Rs. 75,000. After successfully clearing the qualifiers in September, they were invited to the finals held at IIT Bombay on the 21st and 22nd of October 2023. This intense 12-hour overnight hacking contest brought together the nation’s best 50 teams from many prestigious universities.

The competition featured advanced hacking challenges, from exploiting the infamous Spectre vulnerability affecting modern Intel processors to gain unauthorized access to CPU architecture components to exploiting vulnerabilities across the Ethereum blockchain. They were also challenged with exploiting security flaws in various web applications and breaking encryption systems to retrieve secret messages.

The duo credits the win to the chief mentor, Vipin Pavithran as his guidance and support throughout the contest helped them achieve this feat. They also thanked the academic faculty and staff for the constant support and encouragement throughout the year. In addition, they also acknowledged many of the team’s alumni, who are now internationally recognized security researchers at leading global tech companies.

Organized in association with the cybersecurity firm Trust Labs, the IIT Bombay CTF has gained renown as one of India’s biggest cybersecurity competitions. This historic achievement for Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham further solidifies its standing in the information security community. The success of Team bi0s serves as an inspiration to the rising generation of cybersecurity enthusiasts, promising a future where cyberspace remains safe and secure.