The Electronics and Computer Science Club (ECSC) of the Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, successfully organised Medusa 2.0, the second edition of its flagship inter-university Capture the Flag (CTF) cybersecurity competition.

Building upon the success of Medusa 1.0, which attracted participants from over 15 universities across the country, Medusa 2.0 expanded significantly in scale, bringing together 240 students representing 50 teams from universities and other higher education institutions throughout Sri Lanka. The competition provided a platform for undergraduates to demonstrate and enhance their cybersecurity knowledge and practical skills.

The competition was organised in collaboration with HashX, the official CTF platform provider for Medusa 2.0, and was designed to reflect both established and emerging areas of cybersecurity through a diverse range of challenges. Participants tackled Exploitation Challenges, including Web Exploitation, Mobile Exploitation, Binary Exploitation, and Industrial Control System (ICS) Penetration Testing; Analysis and Investigation Challenges, such as Digital Forensics, Reverse Engineering, and Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT); Security Fundamentals covering Cryptography and Steganography; and Next-Generation Threat and Emerging Technology Challenges, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) Security, Chatbot Injection, and Machine Learning Capture the Flag (ML CTF) scenarios.

These challenges were carefully designed to provide participants with hands-on experience in identifying vulnerabilities, analysing security incidents, and addressing modern cybersecurity threats in realistic scenarios.

Following a highly competitive preliminary round, twenty teams comprising approximately eighty students qualified for the final round, which was held on 21 June 2026 at the Faculty of Science premises of the University of Kelaniya.

The final round brought together some of the most talented student cybersecurity enthusiasts in the country and offered participants an opportunity to apply their technical expertise in a challenging, collaborative environment. After an intense competition, Team “Trojan Hex” from the University of Moratuwa secured first place, while Team “403_privileged”, also representing the University of Moratuwa, emerged as the runners-up. Team “Chronos” from CICRA Campus achieved third place.

The competition received highly positive feedback from participants as well as from HashX, highlighting the quality of the challenges, the organisation of the event, and the learning opportunities provided throughout the competition. The event further strengthened collaboration among students with interests in cybersecurity and contributed to the growing cybersecurity culture within the university community.

As one of the largest cybersecurity competitions organised at the University of Kelaniya, Medusa 2.0 marked another significant milestone for the Electronics and Computer Science Club. The success of the event reflects the club’s continued commitment to promoting innovation, technical excellence, and industry-relevant skills among undergraduates. Building on this achievement, the Electronics and Computer Science Club looks forward to organising Medusa 3.0 on an even larger scale, further expanding opportunities for students to engage with the rapidly evolving field of cybersecurity.