The HITCON Capture the Flag (CTF) 2024 just ended, leaving everyone amazed by the difficulty of the challenges in the 48-hour contest. From July 12th to July 14th, participants faced some of the toughest problems in cybersecurity. Here’s a look at what happened.
Event Overview Link to heading
Qualifiers Link to heading
The HITCON CTF Qualifiers used a Jeopardy-style format. Teams solved different cybersecurity challenges to earn points. The event lasted 48 hours straight, with teams racing to get to the top of the leaderboard. The scoring system adjusted points based on how many teams solved each challenge.
My Attempts Link to heading
| Challenge | Category | Points |
|---|---|---|
| AntiVirus | rev | 246 |
| Echo as a Service | web | 238 |
Rank and Scores Link to heading
- Friendly Maltese Citizens: 8467 points
- Blue Water: 6804 points
- thehackerscrew: 5599 points
Key Highlights Link to heading
- Top Performers: The Friendly Maltese Citizens from Malta won with a score of 8467. Blue Water came in second, and thehackerscrew took third place.
- Challenge Diversity: The challenges spanned various categories including web, pwn, crypto, and misc, providing a broad spectrum of problems to tackle.
- Timeline of First Bloods: The Friendly Maltese Citizens were quick to solve many challenges first, showing their skill and preparation.
My Personal Experience Link to heading
Competing in HITCON CTF 2024 with my team, Hague Hackers, was thrilling and tough. It was one of the hardest CTFs we’ve done. Although we were close, we didn’t manage to solve any challenges. Still, it was a great learning experience. The problems were high quality, and the event was well organized, despite a brief downtime.
Awards and Recognition Link to heading
There were big prizes:
- 1st Place: $10,000 USD and a spot in the DEF CON 33 CTF Final.
- 2nd Place: $5,000 USD.
- 3rd Place: $2,000 USD.
- Taiwan Star: $1,000 USD for the top Taiwanese team, encouraging local talent.
Towards the Finals Link to heading
The top nine teams from the qualifiers, plus a few others, will compete in the HITCON CTF Final in Taipei on November 9-10. This onsite Attack & Defense format event will be even more exciting and challenging.
Looking Forward Link to heading
Reflecting on HITCON CTF 2024, I’m very positive about the event. Even though we didn’t solve any challenges, my team learned a lot. We’ll use these challenges to improve and prepare for future competitions.
To all the teams who participated, whether you ranked high or not, well done! HITCON CTF is a top event in the cybersecurity world, pushing limits and inspiring future professionals.
We’re excited for the finals in November and expect another great show of talent and determination. Until then, happy hacking!