UFV Capture the Flag (CTF) is back!

What is CTF (Capture the Flag)?

Capture the Flag (or CTF for short) is a collection of puzzles where participants compete to find the hidden piece of text (called the “flag”). It’s like a scavenger hunt, but all the hunting is done on your computer. There are two types of challenges this year: non-technical questions about cybersecurity basics, and more technical (traditional) CTF style challenges – so we hope everyone can participate!

Each correct solve will award you some points – the participants with the most points at the end of October will be selected to receive a prize.

How to Start

1. Go to https://ufv.ctfd.io
2. Click the login button in the top right-hand corner. Log in with your UFV email address and password.
3. Once logged in, select any challenge to start.

Who can compete?

All current UFV students and employees are invited to compete!

Is there a time limit?

The contest runs from October 15th until October 31st at midnight. That said, there is no time limit within the individual challenges. You can take as much time as you need for each challenge, so long as you submit the flag before the end of October. You are encouraged to do as many or as few challenges as you’d like to.

Help, I’m stuck!

Here are some tips if you get stuck:

• Take notes: It’s easy to lose track once you start gaining momentum. Take notes to remember what you’ve tried, what you’ve found so far, and ideas. Notes can save you a lot of time if you need to backtrack.
• Build your toolkit: You may already have tools you know and love, and there’s lots to be discovered. Check out what you’ve already got installed, search for a tool to do that thing you’re stuck on, or see what field guides and resource lists exist out there.
• Google that question: Search engines are great tools no matter how small the question. For example, if you don’t know how to identify an unknown file that’s missing it’s filetype extension, just Google it!
• Take a break: If you’re really stuck, take a break for a while to clear your head, and come back later.

I have other questions…

Please reach out to cybersecurity@ufv.ca. This email is monitored Mon-Fri during regular business hours.