Introduction
For my Introduction to Informatics course, our lecturer invited us to participate in a Capture the Flag (CTF) event, since our university could take part. I had never joined a CTF before. I had some experience with hackathons — which were great, even though I usually participated solo — so I thought to myself: “Why not give it a try?”
CTF and SPEAIT
At the same time, I realized I could write about the experience for the SPEAIT blog and connect it to the topic of “IT Professionalism.” As during the lecture it was said, being a professional is not only about practical skills but also about developing your own social aspects. I registered our team, which included Britten, Henrik, and Andreas — my friends from the so-called Estonian “Kuberi Desk” group — and we were ready to join! In the days leading up to the event, the university study rooms were fully booked. Everywhere I went, I could see students concentrated in preparing to earn a good position in the competition. Though, I remember sitting in the ICO’s kitchen, making myself something to eat before heading to the Networking Lab. Although I can be quite ‘not serious’ at times, I’ve learned that stressing too much before an event usually makes me perform worse.
When the day of the event arrived, the night felt really quiet. Unfortunately, Henrik couldn’t make it, so we brought in a new stand-in, Stepan. We called ourselves “4 Ways Not to Do CTF” — a name that was pretty funny. The competition consisted of several categories: Levels 0–5, Web Security, PyBlitz, Malware Analysis, and Cryptography. I personally completed most of the Level 3, Level 5, and Web Security challenges. My favorite task involved reverse-engineering an audio file to extract a hidden flag using a spectrogram — and I used FL Studio, which was great!
Conclusion
By the end of the night, our team placed ninth overall. It was an unforgettable experience and one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had in the university study rooms. :)
Score after the event:
