Computer Science students from Chandigarh University have secured a national victory at the CyberShield Hackathon by creating a Generative AI platform that automates the detection of banking malware and fraudulent APKs.

  • Chandigarh University's 'Team Fi' secured 2nd place at the national CyberShield Hackathon.
  • The team developed an agentic AI infrastructure for automated reverse engineering and risk scoring of fraudulent apps.
  • The project won a cash prize of ₹3 lakh, evaluated by experts from EY, McKinsey, and IIT Hyderabad.

In a significant leap for cybersecurity innovation in India, students from Chandigarh University's Computer Science Engineering (CSE) department have developed a cutting-edge AI-powered platform designed to detect and analyze fraudulent mobile applications. The innovation was recognized at the CyberShield Hackathon, a high-stakes competition organized by the Bank of India in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad.

The winning team, known as 'Team Fi', consists of four third-year Bachelor of Engineering students specializing in IBM-Cyber Security: Danish Verma, Rahul Jaluthria, Varun Gupta, and Avneet Kaur. Out of over 3,000 registered teams from across the country, Team Fi emerged as the runner-up for the primary problem statement focusing on the use of Generative AI to combat banking malware.

Read Also:Samsung Galaxy S25 receives ₹22,700 discount: Full deal details

The platform is not merely a scanning tool but an "agentic AI infrastructure." Unlike traditional automated pipelines, this system utilizes autonomous AI agents that coordinate various stages of cybersecurity analysis, including static and dynamic analysis of Android Package Kits (APKs). This allows for automated reverse engineering, which is typically a labor-intensive manual process for security professionals.

Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that as mobile banking becomes the primary mode of financial transaction in India, the proliferation of "sideloaded" fraudulent apps has created a massive security vacuum. By automating the risk-scoring process, this student-led innovation reduces the time-to-detection for malware, potentially saving millions of users from financial fraud. The integration of Generative AI into reverse engineering marks a shift from reactive to proactive defense mechanisms.

The transition from manual security auditing to agentic AI workflows represents the next frontier in defending national financial infrastructures against sophisticated cyber-attacks.

The evaluation process was rigorous, involving a panel of industry titans from EY, C-DAC, McKinsey, and the Bank of India. The students' ability to move their prototype through four rounds of online evaluation and a final on-site technical presentation at IIT Hyderabad underscores the technical viability of their solution.

Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director of Chandigarh University, praised the students for their dedication and the university's commitment to fostering engineers who can contribute meaningfully to society through technological breakthroughs.

Did You Know?: APK stands for Android Package Kit, and 'sideloading' (installing apps from outside the official Play Store) is the primary vector through which most fraudulent banking apps enter a user's device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is the primary function of the platform developed by Team Fi?
The platform uses Generative AI to automate the reverse engineering, static/dynamic analysis, and risk scoring of suspicious Android applications to identify malware.

p>Q2: Who organized the CyberShield Hackathon?
The event was organized by the Bank of India in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad.