NADRA Launches First-Ever Bug Bounty Challenge 2026

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has announced the first-ever Bug Bounty Challenge 2026, with lucrative awards for top achievers.

The national project, established in conjunction with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the National Cyber Emergency Response Team, seeks to enhance the cybersecurity of Pakistan’s digital identity ecosystem.

The competition is team-based, with a focus on sophisticated cybersecurity assessment and responsible vulnerability detection. It aims to develop new talent, strengthen ethical security standards, and boost public trust in national digital identification systems.

Participants include universities and NADRA partner institutes. The event will actively engage students, ethical hackers, and cybersecurity experts from all throughout the country.

The regional rounds of the tournament will commence on January 27, 2026, in important universities such as GIKI Swabi, NUST Islamabad, UET Lahore, NED University Karachi, and BUITEMS Quetta.

The closing ceremony will take place at NADRA Headquarters in Islamabad, with a date to be specified later.

Responding to a question about whether ordinary persons can participate in the challenge, NADRA explained that the competition is team-based and only open to leading universities and partner companies.

Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Provincial Director General of NADRA Khalid Inayatullah, and other local dignitaries opened a new NADRA registration center in Dargai, Malakand.

The cutting-edge facility, located near Dir-Malakand Road, features three stations for female applicants and five counters for male applicants, as well as a specialized passport processing counter.