For the past 2 days, women only international teams competed against one another and tested their cybersecurity skills and related competences. Ireland staged this first international competition dedicated to women. Congratulations to the winning team: Team Europe!
The 2-day event hosted in Dublin, brought together elite women cybersecurity competitors coming from all over the world. The challenge tested them on technical excellence, but also adaptability, coordination, communication, and strategic thinking under pressure.
The success of the female Team Europe in past competitions is a testimony of how our European values remain at the core of ENISA’s endeavours to lead change in an impactful way.
Objectives
The event aims to foster the next generation of women leadership in cybersecurity. This international challenge therefore offered a unique opportunity for the promotion of women in cybersecurity roles.
9 teams competed, each representing a region of the world
These teams included team Asia, team Africa, LAC Women’s Cyber Team, Team Oceania, UK Cyber Team, US Cyber Team, Ukraine G1rlUn1ty, Team Canada and Team Europe. Each team was associated with the name drawn from myth or urban legends.
What did the challenge consist of?
The WICC moves beyond traditional ‘Capture The Flag’ (CTF) formats to create a more dynamic and engaging competitive experience.
Teams were challenged on cryptography, reverse engineering, digital forensics, web exploitation, binary exploitation, hardware security, open-source intelligence (OSINT) and attack & defence.
However, in the process of solving such challenges, teams also needed to remain alert to evaluate opportunities and risks so that they could take time-sensitive tactical decisions throughout the event.
The competition was therefore designed to be technically demanding, to require a strategic mindset, and collaborative efforts.
And the winners are:
1st place: Team Europe
2nd place: US Cyber Team
3rd place: Team Oceania
Side networking events
Workshops, discussion panels and other events allowed participants to meet organisers, industry professionals, researchers, and the wider cybersecurity community. The full programme came in support of collaboration, knowledge sharing, mentorship and international community building.
The role of ENISA
ENISA directly supports the participation of the female Team Europe in the Women International Cybersecurity Challenge 2026 (WICC2026), in close partnership with the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) and the European Commission.
ENISA is a dedicated advocate of initiatives addressing gender inequality in cybersecurity. This includes supporting the participation of the female Team Europe as well as all the women who volunteered as coaches and trainers. ENISA is particularly grateful to all these women who helped run the bootcamps in order to prepare competitors for the qualifiers and hence form the final team.
Contact
For press questions and interviews, please contact: press@enisa.europa.eu.
Content written for: National / EU authorities
