CSAW
CSAW'26 marks the 13th anniversary of CSAW MENA, organized by Center for Cyber Security, NYUAD. Five cybersecurity competitions, in-person finals, and students from across the region — all at NYUAD.
A decade of cyber excellence in MENA
CSAW MENA is the regional arm of CSAW (Cybersecurity Awareness Worldwide), organized by Center for Cyber Security, NYUAD. CSAW'26 marks the 13th anniversary of CSAW MENA — a flagship cybersecurity competition for students across the Middle East and North Africa.
From capture-the-flag and applied research to hardware hacking and LLM attack challenges, MENA finalists represent universities across Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, and Qatar.
The 2025 edition drew 120 finalists across 5 competitions, with finals held in person at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Center for Cyber Security, NYUAD — the faculty, researchers, and students behind CSAW MENA.













5 MENA Challenges
Five competitions held across the Middle East & North Africa, hosted by NYU Abu Dhabi.
CSAW MENA'26 Timeline
Qualifiers run online; finals are held in person at NYU Abu Dhabi.
CSAW MENA Partners
Supported by organizations advancing cybersecurity research and talent across the region.
Partner With CSAW MENA
Connect with the next generation of cybersecurity talent across the Middle East and North Africa. Recruit, sponsor a challenge, or co-host a workshop at NYU Abu Dhabi.
CSAW MENA in Action
12 years of MENA competitors, breakthroughs, and community at NYU Abu Dhabi — captured.
Join CSAW MENA'26
Previous Competitions
A decade of CSAW MENA editions at NYU Abu Dhabi — photos, recaps, and regional champions.
Past Winners
CSAW MENA region champions across all competitions, 2016–2025.
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [RE]TIREDDahmani Toumi, Chebbi Jasser, Badreddine Chamkhi, Mehdi Bel Haj Amor | Ecole Polytechnique Sousse | Tunisia |
| 2 | DEADSECBadi Abualganam, Jameel Abdalla | Applied Science Private University | Jordan |
| 3 | FL1TZMalek Tababi, Salah Chafai, Mohamed Aziz Rahmouni, Mohamed Hadi Graba | National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (INSAT) | Tunisia |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROS-ted PotatoesHashem Alsalhi, Yazan Alrousan, Khalid Amoura, Qutibah Ananzeh | Jordan University of Science & Technology (JUST) | Jordan |
| 2 | Smooth OperatorsHiba Anwar, Minteena Prajith, Lujain Almomani, Sruti Aditi Pillutla | University of Wollongong | UAE |
| 3 | PHOENIXAdil Seidazymov, Steven Strobert, Yahya Liaqat | NYU Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamza MouhcineLLMxCPG: Context-Aware Vulnerability Detection Through Code Property Graph-Guided Large Language Models | Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) | Qatar |
| 2 | Andrea CiccotelliNoBU: An effective and viable cyber-physical solution to thwart BadUSB attacks | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | Saudi Arabia |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team CapstoneAirin Haque, Maulen Mukhatbek, Youssef Ben Arab | NYU Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team MADAhamed Fasial, Asif Tauhid, Meher Md Saad | NYU Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| 2 | Team JemappleMariam Al-Omari, Dana El Samad, Aarya Sangeeth | NYU Abu Dhabi |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0x1a4Knani Alaaeddine, Chebbi Jasser, Badreddine Chamkhi, Knani Mohamed Aziz | TEK-UP University | Tunisia |
| 2 | GaridiAbderaouf Louggani, Abdelkhalek Beraoud, Abderahmane Oubahi, Abderraouf Dandani | Higher National School of Computer Science | Algeria |
| 3 | DEADSECJaleel Bolbol Abdalla, Hamza Abderrahim | Applied Science Private University | Jordan |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr. RobotBadi AbuAlGhanam, Mohammad AlSarabi | Princess Sumaya University for Technology | Jordan |
| 2 | BoticsIchrak Eddor Mnijli, Foued Saidi | Higher Institute of Computer Science Tunis Elmanar | Tunisia |
| 3 | MakerSpaceHassan Abouelela, Malik Hader, Abdulla Bin Saifudheen, Yousef Irshaid | American University of Sharjah | UAE |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marouene BoubakriArchitectural Security and Trust Foundation for RISC-V | University of Carthage Tunis | Tunisia |
| 2 | Robert MergetWith Great Power Come Great Side Channels: Statistical Timing Side-Channel Analyses with Bounded Type-1 Errors | Technology Innovation Institute (TII) | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team AltF4Hadiyya Mattummathodi Mariah, Khalifa Riaz Mohammed, Muhammad Ansari | University of Wollongong in Dubai | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team PBDPearl Rwauya, Simon Grange, Safa Al Almeri | UAE | |
| 2 | Team 原神 (Genshin Impact)Qi Sun, Pavel Nikolaitchev, Yiyi Chen | NYU Shanghai | China |
| 3 | Team Pokémon MasterJoonha Yu, Jun Lee, Yumi Omori | NYU Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEAM_7EVENMohammed Reda Sbaihi, Chiheb Chahine Yaici, Yahia Hachemi, Mohamed El Amine Boukerfa | ESTIN | Algeria |
| 2 | SHELLSECAllouche Imene, Abderahmane Oualili, Mohamed Amokrane Abdelmalek, Smail Djerrai | Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique | Algeria |
| 3 | DEADSECMahmoud Seif, Ghaidaa Alassaf, Jameel Abdalla, Hamza Abderrahim | Applied Science Private University | Jordan |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOTRAIDERS TEAMDavid Felipe Alvear Goyes, Nouf Farhoud, Luis Alberto Vazquez Limon, Erick Rodrigues e Silva | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | Saudi Arabia |
| 2 | BIT SHIFTERS TEAMShahed Obaid, Ansah Siddiqui, Mahmoud Darwish, Muhammed Noshin | American University of Sharjah | UAE |
| 3 | BIN10 TEAMAhmad Al-Remawi, Ahmed Elsayed, Nayef Abusharia, Abdelrahman Tameem | Abu Dhabi University | UAE |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Priyanka DodiaExposing the Rat in the Tunnel: Using Traffic Analysis for Tor-based Malware Detection | Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) | Qatar |
| 2 | Saleh Hamad Al-DaajehThe Role of National Cyber-security Strategies on the Improvement of Cybersecurity Education | United Arab Emirates University | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team KoreaSunghyeon Kim, Seung-Jean Kang, Haram Jeong | NYU Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmad Fraij, Omar El Herraoui | NYU Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| 2 | Ulan Kundizbay | NYU Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ShellSecOussama Abdallah Merouan, Hithem Lamri, Mohamed Laid Malik Mabrouki, Mohamed Amokrane Abdelmalek | ESI Algiers | Algeria |
| 2 | SOter14Anas Cherni, Adem Lahbib, Mohamed Mongi Saidane | INSAT | Tunisia |
| 3 | MISCBoukerfa Muhammad El Amin | ESTIN Bejaia | Algeria |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naif MehannaDRAWNAPART: A Device Identification Technique based on Remote GPU Fingerprinting | University of Lille, CNRS, Inria | France |
| 2 | Lilas AlrahisMuxLink: Circumventing Learning-Resilient MUX-Locking Using Graph Neural Network-based Link Prediction | New York University Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| 3 | Mahnoor ZaheerLure for Money: A First Look into YouTube Videos Promoting Money-Making Apps | Lahore University of Management Sciences | Pakistan |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team SENTRYIoannis Zografopoulos, Alyah Alfageh, Li Zhou, Shijie Pan | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) | Saudi Arabia |
| 2 | Team YASTAAbdullah Alhasni, Salman Elgamal, Youssab William, Omar Mostafa | New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) | United Arab Emirates |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FwordMohamed Arfaoui, Sameh BenAli, Oussema Majbri | INSAT | Tunisia |
| 2 | DeadSecHamza Abderrahim, Mohammad Al Handoush, Raneem Hmaid | Applied Science Private University | Jordan |
| 3 | Heaven's_BirdsMeliani Abdelghani, Malik Mabrouki | National School of Computer Science (ESI) | Algeria |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ofek KirznerAn Analysis of Speculative Type Confusion Vulnerabilities in the Wild | Tel Aviv University | Israel |
| 2 | Marouene BoubakriOpen Portable Trusted Execution Environment framework for RISC-V | University of Carthage | Tunisia |
| 3 | Lilas AlrahisUNSAIL: Thwarting Oracle-Less Machine Learning Attacks on Logic Locking | NYU Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SENTRYIoannis Zografopoulos, Panagiotis Karamichailidis | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | Saudi Arabia |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeadSecHamza Abderrahim, Ayoub AbuAsbeh | Applied Science Private University | Jordan |
| 2 | FwordAhmed Baha Eddine Belkahla, Semah BenAli, Aymen Kooli | National Institute Of Applied Sciences And Technology | Tunisia |
| 3 | team_7evenBoutouchent Akram, Abderrahim Tasfaout, Abdelwahed Madani Yousfi | Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Informatique, ESI SBA | Algeria |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team ZeroAshith Farhan | American University of Sharjah | United Arab Emirates |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naif AlmakhdhubµRAI: Securing Embedded Systems with Return Address Integrity | Purdue University & King Saud University | Saudi Arabia |
| 2 | Esha SarkarI came, I saw, I hacked: Automated Generation of Process-independent Attacks for Industrial Control Systems | NYU Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates |
| 3 | Nimisha LimayeThwarting All Logic Locking Attacks: Dishonest Oracle with Truly Random Logic Locking | NYU Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PwniumMarouene Boubakri, Oussama Kerro | University of Carthage | Tunisia |
| 2 | Sudo_rootRedouane Niboucha, Ayoub Benaissa, Bilal Retiat, Yassine Cherief | Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique | Algeria |
| 3 | DeadSecHamza Abderrahim, Ayoub Aref Abu Asbeh, Mahmoud Abdelhadi, Mohammed Balbisi | Applied Science Private University | Jordan |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hertz2600Adrash Gadala, Viswas Vadakkedath, Prayag Joy | Leaders Private School | UAE |
| 2 | Enigma EnthusiastsUzair Hannure, Kaoushik Murugan, Vansh Shah | Delhi Private School | UAE |
| 3 | DeltaAbdel Rahman Magdy | Gems Cambridge | UAE |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lilas AlrahisScanSAT: Unlocking Obfuscated Scan Chains | Khalifa University | UAE |
| 2 | Umar FarooqQuantity vs. Quality: Evaluating User Interest Profiles Using Ad Preference Managers | LUMS | Pakistan |
| 3 | Prashant RajputProcess-Aware Cyberattacks for Thermal Desalination Plants | NYU Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team 337$Mohamed Chamli, Choukri Ben Jemaa, Mohamed Foudhaili | ESPRIT (Ecole Sup Privée D'Ingénierie et de Technologies) | Tunisia |
| 2 | Team EgFr33ksAbdelrahman Sharshar, Aly Sayed, Mohamed Gobashy | Ain Shams University; Cairo University | Egypt |
| 3 | Team Sudo_rootAyoub Benaissa, Bilal Retiat | École Supérieure en Informatique | Algeria |
| ★ | PlusDohyeok Kim, Gunwoo Kim, Hongsik Kim, Seonpyo Kim | POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) | Republic of Korea |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TheSeCaTechAmey Deotale, Chaitenya Gupta, Kunal Khubchandani | Delhi Private School | UAE |
| 2 | Sectonic23Ralph Vreman, Hugo Vreman, Eliot Mansbridge | Brighton College Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| 3 | RenegadeSatya Anirudh Pachipulusu, Ronit Pawar, Archit Tiwari | Delhi Private School | UAE |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Satwik Patnaik, Johann KnechtelObfuscating the Interconnects: Low-Cost and Resilient Full-Chip Layout Camouflaging | New York University Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| 2 | Ayesha M. TalhaDynamic Spatial Index for Efficient Query Processing on the Cloud | Masdar Institute | UAE |
| 3 | Shahzad Muzaffar, Owais Talat WaheedSingle-clock-cycle, Multilayer Encryption Algorithm for Single-channel IoT Communications | University of Sharjah | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★ | Sectonic23Ralph Vreman | Brighton College Abu Dhabi | UAE |
| ★ | LumosSaloni Mordekar | Delhi Private School | UAE |
| ★ | RenegadeArchit Tiwari | Delhi Private School | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egfr33ksMirazul Islam, Tahseen Bin Taj, Abdullah Riaz, Abdelrahman Sharshar, Aly Sayed, Mohamed Ghobashy | Islamiya English School; Ain Shams University | UAE; Egypt |
| 2 | BiT$PlzAbderrahim Hamza, Subhi Al hassan, Mohamed Aiche, Youssef Awad | Princess Sumaya University For Technology; University Saad Dahlab Blida (Informatique); American University of Sharjah | Jordan; Algeria; UAE |
| 3 | Synergy2Mohammed Sohail, Abu Backer Sayeed, Waqas Bukhari, Devika Jaiswal, Purnapushkala Hariharan, Saloni Mordekar | Islamiya English School; Delhi Private School-Dubai | UAE |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | dcua2Amine Cherrai, Bilal Kardadou, Ilyas Rahmani, Mohammed Belcaid | Mundiapolis University | Morocco |
| 2 | MrAdminAnass Bouchnafa, Azzeddine Djekmani, Oualid Zaazaa, Yaakoub Najih | ENSIAS | Morocco |
| 3 | DC21321Adel Merabet, Mohamed Zehraoui, Ramzi Bourahli | Bordj Bou Arreridj University | Algeria |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breakfast Club()Pablo Pacareu, Pedro Zufiria, Martin Slosarik, Vasily Rudchenko | NYU Abu Dhabi | U.A.E. |
| 2 | LeopardsShams Eddeen Shapsough, Aly Elhakim, Mazim Alikarar | American University of Sharjah | U.A.E. |
| 3 | NullMohammed Ali Al Ghamdi, Majd Zaki Baik, Khalil Yahya Almenqash | King Abdulaziz University | Saudi Arabia |
| # | Team | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeadersMulla Jaasim Mohammed Junaid, Jonathan Sumon, Pranav Joy | Leaders Private School | U.A.E. |
| 2 | The 404sYoussef Awad, Lutfil Hadi Bin Jumadi, Mohammad Ibrahim, Abdulla Sayed, Ahmad Alhashimi | Greenwood International School | U.A.E. |
| 3 | BohemianLee Gungyu, Kim Jung Yun | Raha International School | U.A.E. |
| # | Researcher | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erdem ElkimPost-Quantum Key Exchange - A New Hope | Ege University | Turkey |
| 2 | Sedat AkleylekSparse Polynomial Multiplication for Lattice-Based Cryptography with Small Complexity | Ondokuz Mayis University | Turkey |
| 3 | Aafaf OuaddahTowards a Novel Privacy-Preserving Access Control Model Based on Blockchain Technology in IoT | Cadi Ayyad University | Morocco |
| # | Team | Members | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Youssef Awad, Hamza Khaled, Mohammed Ibrahim, Lutfil Hadi | ||
| 2 | Archit Tiwar, Yaakoub Najih, Satya Anirudh P., Ronit Pawar | ||
| 3 | Ismail Turk, Mohammed Ali Al Ghamdi, Majd Baik, Mohammed Sinan | ||

