UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Competitive Cyber Security Organization (CCSO) is hosting its first Capture the Flag (CTF) event. SillyCTF will be held virtually on March 29 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The national cybersecurity competition is open to everyone, and college students with an ".edu" email address can win prizes.
Capture the Flag competitions simulate real-world cybersecurity scenarios where participants try to find and exploit vulnerabilities in a system in order to capture a hidden piece of information, or flag. CTFs are used in industry and academia to help participants develop and refine their cybersecurity skills in a safe, controlled setting.
“Despite its lighthearted theme, SillyCTF will challenge participants to solve problems in a variety of categories, including cryptography, forensics and reverse engineering,” said CCSO president Liam Geyer, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in cybersecurity analytics and operations in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).
CCSO is a student organization at Penn State that provides members with an academic outlet to pursue and refine their cyber defense and security skills, collaborate with members of other technology-related clubs, expand their technical understanding and participate in various cybersecurity competitions. The organization has earned top placements in numerous regional and national competitions, and members came up with the idea for SillyCTF after placing third in the Global Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition in January.
"This event is a great way to promote cybersecurity, and we've all been having a lot of fun developing the challenges,” said competition organizer Asa Reynolds, who is also pursuing a master’s degree in cybersecurity analytics and operations in the College of IST. “We're excited to be hosting our first national event!"