The “Capture the Flag” game, dubbed the “Olympics of hacking” brings together some of the best hackers in the world. It was won by a team of hackers from two American Universities, which was held in the carpeted ballroom of one of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas at the DEF CON security conference. From Friday through Sunday, the small group of hackers competing in the challenge sat bent over laptops.
The winning team was composed of students from Carnegie Mellon University, alumni from the institution, and students from the University of British Columbia.
Hacking into the custom software developed by the tournament directors is a problem. In addition to identifying bugs in the application, competitors must guard against each other’s hacks. The majority of the hackers were young men and women, with visitors from South Korea, China, India, Taiwan, Japan, and Taiwan. Some of them worked for their respective governments, enterprises, or both, while others were college students or government employees.
While their countries may be engaging in cyber espionage against one another, the DEF CON CTF tournament allows top hackers to communicate. The prize is not cash, but rather prestige. No other competitor has the clout of this one, according to Giovanni Vigna, a competitor, and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Additionally, nobody engages in politics. The game has taken on fresh relevance as cybersecurity has recently emerged as a significant national security concern for the United States, its allies, and adversaries. With the development of hacking technology over the past ten years, the value of the cybersecurity industry has significantly expanded.
For the first time, the competition this year was broadcast live on YouTube with in-person live commentary like sports.
