ICO 2026 Uzbekistan National Selection · Round 1

Official Round 1 Rules

Round 1 will be held on May 3, 2026, from 10:00 to 13:00 Uzbekistan time (UTC+5). The competition lasts exactly 3 hours and is conducted individually in Jeopardy CTF format with theory questions and CTF challenges.

By participating, every participant confirms that they have read, understood, and accepted these rules. Ignoring the rules is not an excuse.

3 hours

10:00–13:00, May 3, 2026, Uzbekistan time. Late login does not normally give extra time.

Individual only

No teams, no shared accounts, no help from anyone, no discussion of tasks.

AI is banned

Any use of AI during Round 1 is strictly prohibited and may lead to immediate disqualification.

1. Purpose of the Competition

The goal of ICO 2026 Uzbekistan National Selection is to identify the strongest students in Uzbekistan who can represent the country on the international cybersecurity stage.

The competition tests logic, independent thinking, cybersecurity skills, CTF problem-solving, cryptography, digital forensics, web security, reverse engineering, OSINT, PWN, networking, Linux basics, and related technical knowledge.

2. Login and Account Rules

Each participant will receive an individual username and password after April 30 via the email used during registration.
Each participant must use only their own account.
Sharing your account, using someone else’s account, or allowing another person to solve from your account is strictly prohibited.
The competition is fully individual. Any account-sharing or impersonation may lead to immediate disqualification.

3. Competition Format

Round 1 is a Jeopardy-style CTF competition hosted on this platform.
The round includes theory questions and CTF challenges.
Initial CTF categories may include Cryptography, Forensics, Web, Reverse Engineering, OSINT, PWN, and other cybersecurity topics.
A Welcome challenge may be used to confirm that participants can access and use the platform correctly.
Organizers may add extra challenges during the competition if participants solve tasks faster than expected or if additional ranking separation is needed.
Participants must monitor the platform during the full 3 hours. Missing a newly added task is not a valid appeal reason.

4. Open-Book and Open-Internet Policy

Round 1 is open-book and open-internet, but it is not open-communication.

Allowed

Your own notes
Public documentation
Manuals and official tool docs
Search engines
Public educational materials
Basic translation only for understanding English text

Not allowed

Asking anyone for help
Posting tasks, files, screenshots, flags, URLs, or partial solutions online
Using forums, Telegram, Discord, Reddit, Stack Overflow, group chats, private chats, calls, or voice chats for active tasks
Using any AI tool for translation, explanation, code, debugging, analysis, hints, or solving

5. Absolute AI Ban

AI is completely prohibited during Round 1. This rule applies to every participant, every task, every device, and every moment of the competition.

Prohibited tools include, but are not limited to: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Poe, local LLMs, browser AI agents, IDE AI assistants, AI search assistants, external AI APIs, AI translation tools, code-generation AI, explanation AI, debugging AI, and any tool that can generate, explain, analyze, summarize, translate, debug, or solve tasks using AI.

AI is prohibited even briefly, even “only for a hint,” “only for translation,” “only to explain a command,” “only to check code,” or “only to understand the task.”

Any AI use may lead to score cancellation, removal from the ranking, non-admission to the next round, and immediate disqualification.

6. Independence and Communication Rules

Participants must solve all tasks independently.
It is forbidden to receive or provide help in any form.
It is forbidden to discuss tasks, hints, flags, files, screenshots, challenge URLs, or partial solutions.
It is forbidden to work as a team, share screens, use remote assistance, or let another person guide the solution.
It is forbidden to share flags or answers with anyone, anywhere, during or after the competition unless the Organizers officially allow publication.
Only official communication with the Organizers is allowed.

7. Infrastructure Scope and Platform Security

Participants may interact only with resources explicitly provided inside the challenges: files, URLs, containers, IP addresses, services, VMs, or other objects clearly marked as in-scope.

Do not attack the CTFd platform, scoreboard, organizer infrastructure, VPN, unrelated services, other participants, or external websites.
Do not perform DoS attacks, destructive actions, credential attacks, unauthorized scanning outside the challenge scope, or exploitation of the competition platform itself.
Do not attempt to disrupt the tournament, access other participants’ data, or interfere with administrative services.

Serious attacks against the platform or infrastructure may lead not only to disqualification, but also to further administrative or legal action where applicable.

8. Hints, Scoring, and Scoreboard

Some challenges may include hints.
Hints may be free or may cost points. The hint cost will be shown on the platform.
The scoreboard may be visible during the competition so participants can see current rankings and scores.
All scoreboard results are preliminary until anti-cheat review, write-up verification, interviews, appeals, and final organizer approval are completed.
In case of equal scores, tie-break may be based on the earlier time of the last successful score increase, unless organizers announce another rule.

9. Anti-Cheat Review, Interviews, and Write-Ups

Organizers may review platform logs, submissions, solve order, timing patterns, IP and network activity, account behavior, repeated flags, unusual solve speed, suspicious answer sequences, and other technical indicators.

Organizers may invite any participant, especially Top 100 participants, to an online interview.
During the interview, the participant may be asked to explain how they solved tasks, which tools and commands they used, and why the flag or answer is correct.
Top 100 participants may be required to submit individual write-ups for 3 to 5 selected CTF tasks.
Write-ups must explain the solving process, tools used, commands or reasoning steps, final flag discovery, and why the solution is correct.
Copied, AI-generated, inconsistent, or missing write-ups may lead to score reduction, result review, non-admission to the next round, or disqualification.

10. Certificates

Every participant who scores 200 points or more will receive an official ICO certificate with the signature of the President of ICO, subject to final verification and rule compliance.

11. Technical Issues

Participants are responsible for their own internet connection, computer, browser, electricity, and personal setup.
Problems caused by the participant’s device, internet, browser, late login, wrong credentials, or personal setup normally do not give extra time or compensation.
If a challenge, flag, file, scoring, or platform issue is suspected, report it only through the official communication channel.
If a mass technical issue caused by organizer infrastructure affects many participants, organizers may extend, pause, reschedule, repeat, or adjust the round in the interest of fairness.

12. Confidentiality

All Round 1 tasks, files, flags, screenshots, write-ups, challenge URLs, and partial solutions are confidential.
Participants may not publish, forward, repost, upload, or share competition materials during or after the competition unless organizers officially allow it.
Violation of confidentiality may lead to disqualification or cancellation of results.

13. Sanctions and Disqualification

For rule violations, organizers may apply one or more of the following measures:

Warning
Zero points for a task
Point deduction
Score hiding or score freeze
Partial or full result cancellation
Non-admission to the next round
Immediate disqualification
Exclusion from the national selection process

Serious violations, including AI use, flag sharing, account sharing, impersonation, attacking infrastructure, or organized cheating, may lead to immediate disqualification without warning.

14. Final Authority of the Organizers

Organizers may update rules, publish clarifications, add technical instructions, review results, request verification, and make final decisions in the interest of fairness, security, and the quality of the national selection.

The latest official announcement or regulation takes priority. The Organizer’s decision on cheating, AI use, verification, ranking, advancement, and disqualification is final within the national selection.

Participant Acknowledgement

By participating in Round 1, I confirm that I have read, understood, and accepted these rules. I will solve independently, will not use AI, will not communicate about tasks, will not attack the platform, and will cooperate with any write-up, interview, or verification request.