Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge
It is one thing to learn about Cybersecurity and security policies, but it is another thing to experience the pressure of handling a cyber-crisis as it is unfolding. In this multidisciplinary challenge simulation, you will get to live through exactly that!
🛡️ The Challenge
The worldwide Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, organized by the GCSP (Geneva Center for Security Policy) and the Atlantic Council, has you take the role of advisors to the High Commissioners of the European Union.
In teams of four, your task is to analyze the given ongoing cyber-crisis and create policy recommendations for the government.
The nature of the problem is multidisciplinary, as you need to tackle the problem from multiple stakeholder perspectives (technical, political, economical etc.) — that is why we make diverse teams, with participants from multiple study programs working together to bridge the gaps in their knowledge and achieve the best possible result.
Throughout the 3 rounds, the fictional cyber-crisis escalates and you must act fast with appropriate policy options. In each round, your judges are a broad-disciplined panel of experts from the wider Cybersecurity field, which will examine your proposal and pose critical questions about your solutions. You have to be both well prepared and quick on your feet to respond!
The main part of the competition takes place on 9-10 April 2026, but there will be work to do before then as well. It might seem like a lot, but do not worry – we, the ETH Cyber Group, are here to help you prepare and dominate the competition!
"The 9/12 challenge is getting more competitive every year - systematic and thorough preparation is increasingly paramount for doing well. The ETH Cyber Group provides you with that - and on top, with great opportunities to network"
- Dr Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Senior Lecturer and Deputy for Research and Teaching, ETH Center for Security Studies
🎓 The training
We organize weekly training sessions every Thursday evening from Feb 19th to April 2nd 2026.
To be successful at the competition, your team needs to show solid analytical and critical thinking, writing and presentation skills. Your policy options should include technical and diplomatic solutions, media response, and very often law enforcement and military involvement. Since we’re working with diverse teams of people, we will provide training on all the core skills that are needed – we roughly group them into 4 parts: the Technical part, the Policy part, Cyber in practice and Soft Skills.
During the training sessions, different experts from industry, public sector and academia will give you detailed insight into the various relevant topics. The lecturers are prominent professionals ETH Cyber Group has been collaborating with for years. You will have a chance to meet them, to work with them in real-life conditions, as well as to receive personal feedback during the practice session and trial run. Additionally, each team will have a coach – someone who has already participated in previous 9/12 Challenge editions to support and guide them through this adventure.
Please find the tentative training schedule below:
Please be aware that the estimated workload during the competition and the training, combined with your individual work outside of the training, feels like 3-4 ECTS. The Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge and the associated ETH Cyber Group Training require your time, effort and commitment. Cyber security is a team sport, and you will be an essential part of your team. Also, you will be in a team with other motivated students, eager to learn and grow. If you register for the training, your attendance is compulsory, but we do understand if you cannot come in case of illness or other justified reasons.
🚀 Why participate?
The ETH Cyber Group Training is a lot of fun! It is a unique experience, where you’ll get to collaborate with motivated students in your team and experience interdisciplinary teamwork under crisis conditions. It is also a great networking opportunity – you'll get to interact with and learn from experts in various fields related to Cybersecurity.
While venturing outside of your comfort zone into this unique adventure, you should also know that you are in good hands! Previous ETH teams, trained by ETH Cyber Group, won at the Challenge in Geneva in 2025, 2024, 2021, 2020! In 2023 one of our teams secured 2nd place.
If you’d like to be the next generation extending the winning streak, register for this year’s training below!
đź“ť Registration
No prior knowledge is required. University students from all study programs are welcome! Also, don’t worry, you don’t need a team to apply – you apply individually, and we will take care of creating teams with varied skills where you can grow together.
Please be aware that we have capacity to train at most 4 teams this year. But we are sure that your application will stand out if you show to us your motivation and willingness to learn about interdisciplinary topics during the training!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to aleksa.micanovic@cybergroup.ch
âť“ Challenge Q&A
- Do I need to have a team?
No, we will team you up after you sign up for our training, but you can of course bring your friends with you.
- Do I need a technical background in cyber security to take part?
No, students of any background are welcome to join!
- Do I need to participate in all training sessions?
Yes, to give our teams the best preparation possible, we demand all participants to attend the training sessions regularly. However, if there is a valid reason, you can skip a training session.