Join the Temple University’s  CARE Lab’s 6th Annual Social Engineering Competition. The SEC is a pure social engineering competition grounded in the social sciences, designed to help students understand how persuasion, influence, and human behavior are used in cyberattacks, all within a structured, ethical, and research-based environment. Unlike many traditional cybersecurity competitions that focus mostly on technical skills like hacking, cryptography, and reverse engineering, this event focuses on the “people” side of security, how attackers manipulate individuals and how defenders can better recognize and respond to these tactics.

Social engineering is any act that uses persuasion strategies to influence individuals to take an action that may or may not be in their best interests. In cybersecurity, it is often used to gather information, steal credentials, gain unauthorized access, or commit fraud through tactics like phishing, business email compromise, or confidence scams. Because the human factor is so frequently targeted, understanding social engineering is critical for anyone interested in cybersecurity, psychology, communication, or related fields.

This year’s theme is “AI-Enhanced Social Engineering Attacks on a Community-Based Pharmacy”. In this scenario, student teams will explore how AI tools could be misused to craft more convincing, tailored, and scalable social engineering attacks against a fictional community pharmacy, and how such attacks might be detected or mitigated. This theme brings together emerging AI technologies and real-world human-centered risks in a way that is timely, relevant, and engaging for students at different educational levels.

The competition is open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Participation is team-based only; solo entries are not allowed. Each team must have 2–4 members, and all team members must be at the same educational level (all high school, all undergraduate, or all graduate). Team members may come from different institutions as long as they are in the same level. Advisors play an important role, especially for younger teams, and will also be asked to complete the required forms.

This competition is part of the education and outreach efforts of NSF Award #2032292 and aligns with the National Science Foundation’s commitment to broadening participation in STEM. The organizers are working to involve students from underrepresented groups, diverse institutions, and all geographic regions. Participation includes research components such as surveys and evaluations, which will help improve future education and training in social engineering and cybersecurity.

Prizes (per track):

• 1st: $1,000
• 2nd: $500

Key dates for the 2026 SEC are as follows:

• Team registration: December 1, 2025 – February 9, 2026 (12:00 pm ET)
  • Details & registration: Visit Competition Page
• Required forms: Code of conduct (team + advisor), media consent (team), parental consent (under 18)
• Team notifications: February 20, 2026
• Pre-event surveys: February 20 – March 9, 2026
• Orientation session (5–6 hours): March 21, 2026 (time TBD)
• Competition weekends:
  • Graduate: April 10–12, 2026
  • Undergraduate: April 17–19, 2026
  • High school: April 24–26, 2026
  • Closing ceremony: April 30, 2026 (time TBD)

Overall, the Summer Social Engineering Competition offers students a unique chance to experience cybersecurity from a human-centered perspective, think critically about how AI and social engineering intersect, and contribute to a broader effort to understand and improve how we educate the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Institutions and instructors are encouraged to share this opportunity with their students, support the formation of 2–4 person teams, and consider serving as advisors so that more learners can take part in this innovative, inclusive, and impactful competition.

In partnership with OWASP Philadelphia

Sponsorships support student prizes and access. Learn more: Sponsorship Page