No, we're not running around in a gym, tagging other players. Capture the flag contests, or CTFs for short, are intense cybersecurity contests where participants try to capture a piece of information. To do this, they must use skills to capture a virtual flag, usually taking the form of a string, like this: flag{this_is_a_flag}. There are two common types of CTF competitions: jeopardy, and attack-defense.
CTFs are different from the hacking you may hear from the news. While hacking is commonly associated with stealing and destruction, CTFs are all about learning and community.
\ No newline at end of file +Yup. You heard that right. EasyCTF is a online hacking/cybersecurity contest targeted at middle and high school students. Like many similar CTF competitions, participants will have to crack, decompile, decrypt, etc. through many defenses in order to find a secret message, known as the "flag". The challenges presented are designed with the intent of being hacked, making it an excellent and legal way for students to get some great hands-on experience.
+ +Teams will consist of up to 5 members. There's no point advantage to having less people on your team, but it's definitely to your advantage to have more people helping you, so invite your friends to play along!
+ +That's ok! Like its name suggests, EasyCTF is an intro-level CTF contest, but can be enjoyable for new and veteran hackers alike! With the "programming" category, those without prior knowledge of computer science or programming can get some of the foundational skills required to solve some of the later challenges.
+ +Absolutely. In fact, we encourage you to use whatever resources you have, as long as it complies with our rules. CTF contests are created with the intention of allowing participants to look up information about topics they aren't familiar with. Our goal here is to open the door to cybersecurity and computer science for young and prospective hackers, and being able to find the information you want through searching the Internet is a great skill to have.
+ +Coming soon!
+ +To get a feel for what you'll be doing during the actual competition, you could try some of the practice problems below, or try some of the problems from last year's EasyCTF.
+Finally, the CTF Field Guide is an excellent resource for getting information about CTFs.
+A more complete list of resources will be available on the Learn page.
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