SK Shieldus said on April 10 that Lee Dong-ju (이동주), a senior researcher in its white-hacker group EQST (Experts, Qualified Security Team), took first place at the Dreamhack Invitational 2026 held at COEX in Seoul.

The contest was run as an official programme of the .HACK Conference 2026, a global security conference where domestic and international cybersecurity experts share the latest technology trends and practical know-how.

The competition used a Capture The Flag format, with participants earning points as they solved problems to determine the rankings. Competitors tackled challenges across areas including web security, system exploitation, reversing, cryptography and blockchain security (Web3).

Lee, of the EQST Lab team, placed 11th out of about 900 people in the preliminary round held from Jan. 24 to 25, securing a finals berth awarded to the top 30. He then showed balanced skills across multiple areas in the finals held from 9 a.m. on April 7 to 12 a.m. on April 8, finishing first overall.

He earned a high total score of 2,225 points by successfully solving cryptography and blockchain security (Web3) problems that many participants could not complete due to difficulty. "It was very meaningful to take part in this competition as a representative of the company, where I could think about the latest attack techniques and verify my skills," Lee said. "I will continue to study rapidly changing security trends and grow as a security expert who contributes to enhancing the company's trust and competitiveness," he added.