Competitions can include hiding flags in hardware devices, they can be both online or in-person, and can be advanced or entry-level. A mixed competition combines these two styles.
In two main variations of CTFs, participants either steal flags from other participants (attack/defense-style CTFs) or from organizers (jeopardy-style challenges). They can be used for both competitive or educational purposes. Computer security exercise A team competing in the CTF competition at DEF CON 17Ĭapture the Flag ( CTF) in computer security is an exercise in which participants attempt to find text strings, called 'flags', which are secretly hidden in purposefully- vulnerable programs or websites.
