Twenty-two Government Cyber Defenders Test Skills in ADNOC’s Advanced Security Simulation

At ADIPEC 2026, UAE government cybersecurity professionals competed in a sophisticated hackathon designed to strengthen defences against AI-driven threats to energy infrastructure, working within a recreated energy grid that mirrored real-world operational complexity.

The final of the ADNOC AI Hackathon, held on 4 November at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, brought together 22 cybersecurity professionals from across UAE government entities for an intensive four-hour technical competition. Organised by Exploit3rs Cybersecurity Academy in partnership with the UAE Cyber Security Council under the CyberAware programme, the event represented the culmination of weeks of qualification rounds that began with more than 400 registrations.

The competition was structured around HELIOS, an advanced virtual environment engineered to replicate the precise technical architecture and operational characteristics of genuine energy networks. Each finalist received a dedicated, fully isolated copy of this simulated infrastructure, complete with the industrial control systems and technologies deployed in real-world energy operations. The architecture combined an externally accessible operations portal with an isolated industrial network, creating a realistic yet entirely controlled setting in which participants could assess security vulnerabilities without exposing actual critical infrastructure to any risk.

Within their four-hour window, competitors navigated ten interconnected technical challenges that demanded expertise across multiple cybersecurity disciplines: web application security assessment, cryptography, network forensics, reverse engineering, privilege escalation and industrial control system security. The complexity of the competition was reflected in the results: the three highest-ranked finalists each completed nine of the ten challenges, whilst no participant successfully resolved all ten, underscoring the rigorous standard of the technical demands.

Saif Alzaabi secured first place, with Theyab Alzaabi finishing second and Rowdah Alhosani claiming third. The winners were honoured at an awards ceremony on 5 November.

Juma Alshamsi, Founder and Chief Executive of Exploit3rs Cybersecurity Academy, reflected on the significance of the exercise: each finalist received a complete energy network of their own, running the same industrial technology as real systems, and had four hours to demonstrate how they might penetrate it from the outside. The value, he observed, lay not merely in the competition itself but in what the participants would carry forward: every weakness they exploited represented a vulnerability they could now identify and remediate in the systems they protect.

As we reported in ADNOC Gas and Sharjah National Oil Corporation’s strategic alliance to strengthen UAE energy resilience, the focus on robust defence mechanisms within the energy sector reflects the broader imperative to ensure consistent security across the nation’s critical infrastructure. The hackathon exemplified the practical, simulation-based approach now central to government workforce development in cybersecurity.

Exploit3rs managed the entire initiative through its proprietary training platform, Hacking Dungeon, which administered registrations, conducted the online qualification phase from 12 to 15 October, and deployed eight practical challenges to evaluate technical skill levels. During the final, the platform simultaneously maintained independent virtual networks for each participant whilst displaying live scoring and rankings throughout the venue.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

The ADNOC AI Hackathon represents a substantive investment in the technical resilience of government cybersecurity capabilities across the Emirates. With more than 400 professionals engaging in the qualification rounds, the initiative has created a demonstrable uplift in practical competency among those responsible for protecting critical infrastructure against increasingly sophisticated, AI-driven threats to energy systems.

The competition underscores the strategic importance Abu Dhabi places on sustaining the technical edge required to defend essential services. By providing government defenders with realistic, high-pressure simulation environments that mirror actual operational conditions, the hackathon ensures that the nation’s cybersecurity workforce remains equipped to identify and address vulnerabilities before they pose operational risk.