NADRA announces 'Bug Bounty Challenge 2026' with attractive prizes

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has launched its first-ever Bug Bounty Challenge 2026, offering attractive prizes for top performers.

The national initiative, launched in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the National Cyber Emergency Response Team, aims to further strengthen the cybersecurity of Pakistan’s digital identity ecosystem.

The competition is team-based and focuses on advanced cybersecurity assessment and responsible vulnerability identification. It seeks to nurture emerging talent, reinforce ethical security practices, and enhance public confidence in national digital identity systems.

Participants include selected universities and NADRA partner institutions. The event will actively engage students, ethical hackers, and cybersecurity professionals from across the country.

Regional rounds of the competition will begin on January 27, 2026, at major universities, including GIKI Swabi, NUST Islamabad, UET Lahore, NED University Karachi, and BUITEMS Quetta.

The concluding ceremony will be held at NADRA Headquarters in Islamabad, with the date to be announced later.

Responding to a question on whether ordinary citizens can participate in the challenge, NADRA clarified that the competition is team-based and open exclusively to leading universities and partner organisations.

Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi inaugurated a new NADRA registration centre in Dargai, Malakand, along with Provincial Director General NADRA Khalid Inayatullah and other local dignitaries.

The state-of-the-art facility, located near Dir–Malakand Road, has been equipped with three counters for female applicants and five counters for male applicants, in addition to a dedicated passport processing counter.