NCAE Cyber Games 2026
NCAE Cyber Games 2026
In March 2026, I had the opportunity to compete in NCAE Cyber Games 2026 with the Cal Poly Pomona SWIFT team. This competition focused on defensive operations, service uptime, teamwork, and cybersecurity problem solving under time pressure.
This experience stood out because it was not just about solving Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges. Teams also had to maintain services, communicate clearly, and make decisions quickly while working in a defensive environment.
The Environment
The competition environment was built around practical defensive security tasks and service management. Teams had to balance challenge-solving with keeping assigned services available throughout the event.
Some of the areas involved included:
- Secure Shell (SSH) service administration
- Linux system interaction
- Service uptime and availability
- Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges
- Networking and troubleshooting
- Team-based defensive operations
Rather than focusing only on isolated technical puzzles, the event encouraged participants to think about reliability, availability, and communication.
What We Were Actually Doing
From the start, the work felt like a mix of system administration, defensive operations, and CTF-style problem solving. The goal was not only to complete challenges, but also to help keep services stable and functional.
I supported assigned SSH service administration and helped with challenge-solving tasks. That meant paying attention to service behavior, coordinating with teammates, and working through technical issues while the competition was running.
The experience reinforced how important fundamentals are. Networking, Linux, authentication, SSH, and troubleshooting all showed up in practical ways. It was a good reminder that defensive cybersecurity is not just about knowing tools, but also about understanding how systems should behave and how to respond when something is not working correctly.
Teamwork and Operations
One of the biggest takeaways from this event was how important communication is in a team-based defensive competition. When multiple people are working on different parts of an environment, clear updates and coordination matter just as much as technical skill.
The competition required us to think about availability and service management, not just flags. That made it feel more operational than a normal CTF. Keeping a service available while also working through challenges requires discipline, awareness, and teamwork.
In that sense, the event helped strengthen both technical and collaborative skills.
What I Took Away
What I appreciated most about NCAE Cyber Games 2026 is that it reinforced how important fundamentals are in defensive security.
A few things stood out to me in particular:
Service uptime matters because security also includes availability.
Strong Linux, networking, SSH, and troubleshooting skills are extremely useful in competition environments.
Team communication is critical when multiple people are responsible for different services and tasks.
Defensive work requires both technical problem solving and operational awareness.
Even when an event has administrative or scoring confusion, the hands-on technical experience can still be valuable.
Final Thoughts
Competing in NCAE Cyber Games 2026 with the CPP SWIFT team was a valuable learning experience. It gave me more exposure to defensive operations, service management, and team-based cybersecurity problem solving in a competitive environment.
I am grateful for the opportunity to participate and for the experience I gained from working with the team. This competition helped reinforce the importance of networking and system administration fundamentals, which continue to show up in cybersecurity competitions, certifications, labs, and real-world technical work.
Definitely an experience I will continue building on going forward.