Hack The Box Capture The Flag Competition by Coastline
At Coastline College
Last Saturday was one of those days that I will not forget anytime soon within the cybersecurity ecosystem. Coastline College’s CyberAI Research Symposium was the venue for an entire day of talks, competitions, and discussions that forced me to think deeper about the future of this industry.
The Symposium
The event was filled with talks from industry experts and even speakers from NASA. Listening to experts from other areas of this industry, from AI security to operational technology, reminded me of just how many avenues there are to a successful career path within this industry. Each talk represented a new perspective, and all the talks combined represented a new picture - an industry that is expansive, ever-evolving, and growing.
The CTF - Hack The Box
The high point of the day was the CTF event by Hack The Box. I ended up with a 2nd place overall ranking, and the challenges provided were some of the more well-rounded ones I’ve had the chance to participate in. The categories included:
Forensics - analyzing artifacts, log files, and other system data to rebuild the events leading up to the current state Cryptography - cracking codes, determining encoding schemes, and recovering plaintext from encoded data OSINT - tracking down information with open-source intelligence techniques Reverse Engineering - taking binaries apart to determine logic and recover flags Coding challenges - coding away to automate solutions or brute force certain conditions
What made this event particularly interesting was the time constraint aspect. It’s one thing to work on all these challenges in a relaxed environment, and quite another to work on them with a timer ticking away. It forced me to think more efficiently - knowing when to switch away from a challenge and when to stick with it and see it through to completion.
The Networking
In addition to the technical side, the networking side of the day really impressed me. It was wonderful speaking with students, working professionals, and even people from vastly different industries who had all managed to find their way into the world of cybersecurity through different means. It provided me with a new level of understanding, one that I do not believe can always be obtained through competitions or courses.
Takeaways
After the day, I felt far more inspired than before. It is good to remember that there is always so much left to learn, and the process can even be enjoyable. Thanks again to Coastline College, the presenters, Hack The Box, and Dr. West for an extremely well-organized event. Can’t wait for the next one.