AI Meets Human Deception
The Future is Calling
In the Social Engineering Community’s Battle of the Bots: Vishing Edition, teams will design AI-powered agents to place live vishing (voice phishing) calls in a soundproof booth, attempting to extract pre-defined objectives from real human targets.
This competition pushes the boundaries of hacking, automation, and human psychology to explore just how far artificial intelligence can go in mimicking the art of social engineering.
Want to Compete?
If you or your team are bold enough to create an AI agent that can think fast, talk smart, and vish better than a human, we invite you to apply for this groundbreaking competition.
This is your shot to show off the current state of Social Engineering AI.
Applications close on May 29, 2026 @ 5 PM PT.
Acceptance & Rejection emails by June 2, 2026.
How It Works
How the Competition Works
Please read carefully – this isn’t your average CTF.
Teams
You may compete solo or with a second person (a duo). Each team will be responsible for developing and deploying an AI-driven voice agent capable of performing vishing calls without any live human intervention during the calls themselves.
The Call
During live calls, only your AI agent may speak. No team member may talk on the call, though you may assist your bot’s operations—like monitoring, triggering fallback behaviors, or prompting follow-ups—without generating live voice. All team members must enter the booth to manage your bot’s deployment and interface and may communicate with each other silently or via notes.
Application Video
To apply, submit your application as well as a video (max 2 minutes) explaining why you or your team should be selected. This is your chance to show your creativity, details about your bot and your experience with AI, technical vision, and goals.
Next Step
If You're Accepted
Company & Objectives Assignment
Each team will receive a target company and a list of objectives (with point values) that your AI bot must attempt to extract during its vishing calls.
Competitor Webinar
We will host a private competitor-only webinar for those accepted to discuss the competition and answer any questions after the teams have been selected.
OSINT
Unlike our SECVC, OSINT will be your responsibility and will not be graded for points. We still highly recommend it.
Your Agreement
Rules & Responsibilities
AI Bot Development
Prior to your live call at the village, this will be your time to develop and fine-tune your AI vishing agent, including its voice model, NLP capabilities, call logic, safety controls, etc. You, and your bot, MUST also abide by our the DEF CON Code of Conduct and the SEC Code of Ethics. You are welcome to use third-party tools, services, APIs for your bot, but you and your team will be fully responsible for those and the SEC will not reimburse any costs.
Direct contact with your target is forbidden
That includes phone calls, emails, or any active probing. When in doubt, consult SEC staff.
Required Surveys
All team members must complete a brief pre-competition and post-competition survey to support SEC’s research. These take less than 15 minutes each.
Next Step
Submission Requirements
Alongside bot development, you must submit a Bot Vishing Plan Report detailing:
- The AI agent’s pretext(s) and logic flow.
- Phone numbers your bot will call AND the source of where you found that phone number.
- Technical summary of your AI agent stack and showing how you’re following our Code of Ethics, and more.
A template and example will be provided. Submissions will be judged and scored, and feedback will be available on request.
Technical Setup
The Hardware
You and your team will be responsible for the hardware and software your bot will run on. The SEC will provide you with two things during the call:
Participant Audio Integration Requirements
This document provides a high level overview of the requirements for connecting your AI calling agent to the event audio system, ensuring calls are clearly heard and fully controllable during live sessions. It covers key expectations such as proper audio routing, system readiness, and immediate call termination. For complete technical requirements, setup instructions, and preflight criteria, download the full Participant Audio Integration Requirements document.
Live
Live at DEF CON
At DEF CON in the Social Engineering Community Village, each team will have a scheduled time to run their AI agent live. Your bot will place real-time vishing calls to reach your assigned objectives. Judges will score based on performance, objectives captured, and creativity – plus limited style points for standout approaches.
The Social Engineering Community is formed by a group of individuals who have a passion to enable people of all ages and backgrounds interested in Social Engineering with a venue to learn, discuss, and practice the craft.
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