In 2026, it was once again time to fire up the computers, put heads together, and start hacking! At usd Hackertage and usd Hacking Night, cybersecurity enthusiasts came together to put their hacking skills to the test, try out new things, and exchange ideas with like-minded people.
The usd Hackertage provided an opportunity to practice in usd's own CTF environment, the PentestLab while usd Hacking Night, on the other hand, focused on the team-based Capture-the-Flag competition.
usd Hackertage: Try Your Hand at Hacking and Expand Your Skills
On November 6, 2026, starting at 1:00 p.m., more than 70 participants were able to search for vulnerabilities, try out different attack techniques, and tackle various challenges in a virtual training environment. The event took place at our three locations in Neu-Isenburg, Cologne, and Munich.
It didn’t matter how much experience they already had: From an introduction to ethical hacking to more challenging tasks for advanced participants, there was something to do for every skill level. Our experts from usd HeroLab were on hand to answer questions, offer the occasional hint, and talk with participants about their day-to-day work in cybersecurity.
Besides hacking, there was, of course, plenty of time to get to know each other and network. Over pizza, Mate, and Tschunk, the participants exchanged ideas on solutions and shared their findings.
Ready, Set, Hack: usd Hacking Night
For those who still hadn't had enough after the Hackertage, the fun continued seamlessly into the evening: They met up with other participants in Munich and Neu-Isenburg for the usd Hacking Night. Working in teams, they competed against each other in our Capture-the-Flag competition.
Their mission: Become root. The environment consisted of a series of web and system vulnerabilities that participants could exploit to gradually escalate their privileges from unauthenticated to root. This required not only technical expertise, but also creativity, perseverance, and true teamwork.
I was excited to see how people with very different skill levels dove right into the challenges, stuck with them, and helped each other out. These are exactly the kinds of talents we need in cybersecurity. Only by giving the next generation the space to try things out for themselves and improve can we, as a security community, keep pace with attackers in the long run.
David Alt, Senior Consultant IT Security and responsible for usd PentestLab
Until 2:30 a.m., the teams analyzed, tested, discarded ideas, came up with new ones, and, of course, celebrated every flag they found. In the end, the best teams prevailed and secured a spot on the podium.
Congratulations to our winners, and above all: kudos to all the teams that took on our challenges!
Two Events, One Community, Lots of Hacking
The flags are just one part of the events. Equally important: Participants learn from one another and meet others who are passionate about cybersecurity and ethical hacking.
Thank you to all the participants and to all our colleagues who made the usd Hackertage and Hacking Night possible.
See You in 2027!
As we all know, one Hacking Night leads to the next. Next year, we want to hack, tinker, and collect flags together with you again.
Want to join us? Then sign up for our usd Student News and be the first to know when registration opens for the next usd Hackertage and usd Hacking Night.
