Education Editors: Matt Bishop,
[email protected] Cynthia Irvine,
[email protected] Hacking Competitions and Their Untapped Potential for Security Education nformation security educators can learn much from room environment. the hacker community. The word “hacker” is con- Network Warfare Perhaps the best-known com- troversial, and the idea of emulating this community petition in the hacker commu- nity is CTF, which challenges is problematic to some. However, we use the term in participants to attack and defend computing resources while solv- Iits purest form: individuals who creatively explore technology ing complex technical problems. Run by security experts includ- GREGORY and push it in new directions. Be- better prepared to deter attacks and ing DDTek, Kenshoto, and the CONTI, THOMAS cause of this imaginative, playful defend against them. They’ll also Ghetto Hackers, CTF has been BAbbITT, AND spirit, most hacker conferences be more able to perform ethical an important catalyst for research, JOHN NELSON sponsor diverse and intense com- hacking activities, such as penetra- innovation, and government, aca- US Military petitions, many organized by the tion testing, reverse engineering, demic, and industry collaboration. Academy attendees themselves and facilitat- and active network defense. CTF variants have emerged, such ed via the conference organizers. as the Collegiate Cyber Defense These competitions test partici- Types of Competitions Competition and the US National pants’ ingenuity and problem-solv- Hacker competitions touch on Security Agency-sponsored Cy- ing skills, are fun and innovative, many aspects of computer science, ber Defense Exercise.4 CTF has and draw large, enthusiastic groups information technology, electri- even spawned a business model in of participants and spectators.