China Revives Tianfu Cup Hacking Contest Under Increased Secrecy

China’s Tianfu Cup hacking contest returned in 2026 and is now overseen by the government, with the event framed by increased transparency concerns. The competition took place January 29-30, and the MPS announced the Tianfu Cup on January 16, with a subsequent post on the event’s X account that was soon removed.

Natto Thoughts notes that the website went offline to visitors outside China after the event, and that the prize pool was set at CN¥ 1 million (about $140,000), far smaller than the sums seen in previous years. The rules and targets are reported to have changed significantly, with new tracks including AI-assisted vulnerability identification and a track focused on reproducing exploits for known vulnerabilities.

The Natto Thoughts analysis suggests the central role of the MPS and a tendency toward secrecy and retention of vulnerabilities, rather than vendor coordination or disclosure, and claims that exploits from Tianfu Cup are often linked to Chinese state activity.