Introduction to Capture The Flag (CTF)

General

Introduction to Capture The Flag (CTF) Banner

Foundational

1 Hour

18 Chapters

Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions range in style and difficulty, but every CTF offers a wealth of knowledge. After an initial baselining on CTF basics, the focus of this workshop relates to how both technical and non-technical skills learned through participation can be applied to real-world scenarios. This workshop excites the value of CTFs and what they stand to gain by playing! Turn these fun puzzles into real-world skills to apply in your career.

100 Credits
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Workshop Summary

In this workshop, we’ll cover the following areas to help you understand and effectively participate in CTF events.

What, Why, and How of CTF

We will cover what CTFs are and their importance in cybersecurity, especially for practicing real-world skills in a controlled environment.

We’ll also explore the different formats CTFs can take:

  • Jeopardy, Attack and Defense, King of the Hill, Story/Scenario-driven.
Types of Challenges

Next, we’ll discuss the various categories of challenges you’ll encounter:

  • Web, Binary Exploitation, Reverse Engineering, Forensics, Cryptography, Miscellaneous, Programming, OSINT, and Trivia.
Skills, Tools, and Techniques

This section will cover essential skills and why they matter:

  • Technical Skills and Tools: We’ll discuss the important technical skills that can help you perform well in CTF. And we'll.

  • Non-Technical Skills: These are just as important as technical skills. We’ll discuss why critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity are essential, as they help you approach and solve challenges effectively. CTFs often require innovative approaches, and these skills will set you apart.

  • Socializing & Teamwork: Many CTFs are team-based, so knowing how to collaborate and communicate with your team is critical. We’ll discuss strategies for sharing knowledge, dividing tasks, and leveraging each team member’s strengths to succeed in group challenges.

Post CTF Event

After a CTF, the learning doesn’t stop. We’ll cover the importance of post-event activities:

  • CTF Writeups & Walkthroughs: CTF writeups offer valuable insights and help you reflect on your own strategies. Contributing your own writeups also helps solidify your knowledge and gives back to the community.

  • Analysis & Improvement: Reviewing your performance is critical for continuous improvement. We’ll explore how to analyze where you performed well and where you can improve for future CTFs.

  • Tooling: We’ll discuss the tools you used and explore new ones that may improve your efficiency and effectiveness in future competitions.

  • CTF Resources: Finally, we’ll provide a list of resources, including websites, forums, and past challenge archives, that you can use for practice and to further hone your skills.

By the end of this workshop, you'll have a strong understanding of CTFs and how participating in them can help you develop practical, real-world cybersecurity skills.