Exploit3rs concludes ADNOC AI Hackathon final

Exploit3rs Cybersecurity Academy has successfully delivered the final of the ADNOC AI Hackathon, held on the sidelines of ADIPEC 2026 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, bringing together 22 cybersecurity professionals from UAE government entities for an advanced technical competition focused on energy-sector security and critical infrastructure defence.

Hosted by ADNOC in partnership with the UAE Cyber Security Council under the CyberAware programme, the competition was developed and delivered by Exploit3rs Cybersecurity Academy, covering the entire process from online qualification rounds to the final competition.

More than 400 cybersecurity professionals from UAE government entities registered for the initiative, which focused on strengthening practical skills in addressing AI-driven cyber threats, securing energy infrastructure and responding to increasingly complex digital security challenges.

The final took place on 4 November, with Saif Alzaabi securing first place, Theyab Alzaabi finishing second and Rowdah Alhosani taking third. The winners were honoured during an awards ceremony at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi on 5 November.

For the final, Exploit3rs engineered HELIOS, an advanced, intentionally vulnerable virtual energy infrastructure environment designed to replicate the technical architecture and operational structure of real-world energy networks.

The training environment recreated an energy grid control centre, combining an externally accessible operations portal with an isolated industrial network featuring technologies used in energy operations.

Each finalist was provided with a dedicated, independently deployed copy of the simulated network, fully isolated from other participants and from any live operational systems.

The environment enabled participants to assess security weaknesses and demonstrate technical capabilities in a realistic but controlled setting without exposing actual energy infrastructure to risk.

The final consisted of a four-hour individual competition featuring ten interconnected technical challenges.

Participants applied a range of cybersecurity skills, including web application security assessment, cryptography, network forensics, reverse engineering, privilege escalation and industrial control system security.

The three highest-ranked finalists each completed nine of the ten challenges, while no participant completed all ten, reflecting the technical complexity of the competition.

Juma Alshamsi, Founder and CEO of Exploit3rs Cybersecurity Academy, said: “Each finalist received a complete energy network of their own, running the same industrial technology as the real thing, and four hours to take it over from the outside in. Watching the UAE’s government cyber defenders do that under pressure at ADIPEC is exactly why we engineer environments like this. Every weakness they exploited is one they now know how to find and close in the systems they protect. Congratulations to Saif, Theyab and Rowdah, and to every finalist who reached the ADIPEC stage.”

Exploit3rs managed the competition through its proprietary cybersecurity training platform, Hacking Dungeon.

The academy handled more than 400 registrations, conducted the online qualification round from 12 to 15 October, and developed eight practical challenges to assess participants’ cybersecurity skills.

Twenty-three competitors qualified for the final, with 22 taking part in the competition held at ADIPEC.

During the final, the platform deployed an independent virtual energy network for each participant, while a live scoreboard displayed competitors’ progress and rankings at the venue.

All challenges and environments were developed and tested by Exploit3rs and designed exclusively for training purposes, operating entirely independently of real-world operational systems.

The competition highlighted the importance of practical training, simulation-based learning and technical skill development in strengthening cybersecurity capabilities across government entities and critical sectors.

Exploit3rs extended its appreciation to the UAE Cyber Security Council and the CyberE71 programme for their support of the competition and their efforts to strengthen the UAE’s government cybersecurity workforce.