- Dates: 6–9 October 2025. ECSC
- Location & venue: Warsaw, Poland — COS Torwar Arena (Łazienkowska 6a). ECSC2025
- Organisers: ENISA (EU Agency for Cybersecurity) with NASK (Poland’s National Research Institute). ECSC
- Who competes: National teams of 10 young talents (ages 14–25), selected via national qualifiers. ECSC
- Format: Two-day CTF: Jeopardy (Day 1) + Attack–Defense (Day 2), with opening/closing ceremonies and networking sessions. ECSC2025
- Challenge mix: 30 Jeopardy tasks plus 5 Attack–Defense services across web, reverse, crypto, pwn, forensics, hardware, stego, misc. ECSC2025
- Scale: “More than 30 countries” expected to participate. Polskie Radio online
- Access: A closed, credentialed event (streaming available on official channels). ECSC2025
What is the European Cybersecurity Challenge (ECSC)?
The ECSC is the EU’s flagship competition for emerging cyber talent. Run by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and hosted each year by a different country, it brings together the best under‑25 competitors for a multi-day capture‑the‑flag (CTF) tournament and networking program. ECSC
In 2025, Poland’s NASK (Research and Academic Computer Network – National Research Institute) is organising the finals in Warsaw in collaboration with ENISA. ECSC2025
Expert view: “The European Cybersecurity Challenge succeeds in bolstering skills development and cybersecurity excellence of young talent across Europe.” — Juhan Lepassaar, Executive Director, ENISA. ECSC2024
When and where (and what’s the schedule)?
- 6 Oct (Mon): Registration, workstation checks, official opening, networking.
- 7 Oct (Tue): Jeopardy CTF (10:00–18:00 CEST).
- 8 Oct (Wed): Attack–Defense CTF (10:00–18:00 CEST).
- 9 Oct (Thu): Closing ceremony, awards, official dinner.
The finals are at COS Torwar Arena, a 4,800‑seat venue in central Warsaw; the event itself is not open to the general public. ECSC2025
Who competes and how do teams qualify?
Each country fields 10 athletes (five aged 14–20 and five aged 21–25), chosen through national trials that attract tens of thousands of hopefuls. The 2025 site lists participating teams and links to their national programs. ECSC2025
Polish media report more than 30 countries converging on Warsaw, underscoring the event’s scale and its role as a continental talent pipeline. Polskie Radio online
How the competition works
ECSC uses the two classic CTF styles:
- Jeopardy (Day 1): Teams solve independent tasks for points across categories like web, reverse engineering, crypto, pwn, forensics, hardware, stego, misc. The 2025 handbook foresees 30 challenges with dynamic scoring. ECSC2025
- Attack–Defense (Day 2): Teams defend services on a shared network while exploiting others’, accumulating points for successful attacks and resilient defense across 5 services. ECSC2025
The official handbook details the rules, scoring, APIs, and the communications setup that keep the games fair and fast. ECSC2025
Why ECSC 2025 matters
Beyond medals, ECSC is a strategic response to Europe’s fast‑evolving threat landscape. ENISA’s Threat Landscape 2025 notes increasingly convergent threat groups reusing tools, collaborating, and introducing new attack models—raising the premium on well‑trained defenders. ENISA
That urgency is mirrored in policy and headlines. ENISA’s chief warned in 2024 that disruptive, state‑aligned cyberattacks had doubled in recent months, with elections and critical infrastructure in the crosshairs—another reminder of why building a pipeline of skilled talent matters. AP News
Expert voices from the host country
Poland’s national preparations highlight the human side of the competition:
“These young people already think like seasoned pros.” — Iwona Prószyńska, CERT Polska coach. torwar.cos.pl
The local organising team (NASK/CERT Polska) also emphasises the event’s developmental impact—technical skill, teamwork, and communication under pressure—qualities that transfer directly into SOCs, incident response, and product security roles across Europe. torwar.cos.pl
Storylines to watch in Warsaw
- Who tops the podium? Germany won in 2023 (Hamar) and 2024 (Turin); Italy and Poland completed the 2024 podium. Can the hosts ride home advantage? ENISA
- Depth of field: With 30+ nations and guest/observer teams listed on the 2025 site, the spread of talent keeps widening. ECSC2025
- Category balance: The 2025 handbook specifies 30 Jeopardy challenges (with minimum easy/hard counts) and dynamic scoring—expect late‑game swings. ECSC2025
How to follow and how to get involved
- Follow live: The ECSC 2025 site aggregates streams and the live scoreboard; official ECSC and ENISA channels will share updates during the week. ECSC2025
- Join a future team: The official ECSC portal explains how to enter your national trials (check the Participants list for your country’s pathway). ECSC
Sources & further reading
- Official event portal (ECSC): Dates, Warsaw host announcement, and ECSC overview. ECSC
- ECSC 2025 handbook (NASK): Venue (COS Torwar), schedule, formats, rules, challenge categories. ECSC2025
- Venue page (COS Torwar): Event listing and quotes from CERT Polska. torwar.cos.pl
- Polskie Radio: “More than 30 countries” gathering in Warsaw for the 10th ECSC. Polskie Radio online
- ECSC 2024 wrap‑up (Turin): ENISA’s Lepassaar on ECSC’s skills mission; 2025 host confirmation. ECSC2024
- ENISA Threat Landscape 2025: Convergent threat‑actor trends and implications. ENISA
- AP News (2024): Doubling of disruptive cyberattacks in EU, per ENISA.
