Bitdefender is proud to announce PwnThyBytes Capture The Flag - our competitive ethical hacking contest

We hope you’ve all enjoyed your summer holidays, chilling out on the beach, seeing new places and recharging your batteries. Because this autumn we’ve prepared the first edition of PwnThyBytes CTF, a top-notch global computer security competition, which we hope will be a fun and challenging experience for everybody. The contest starts on September 28th and we’re hyped to give you a sneak peek at what to expect.

Information security competitions, such as capture the flag (CTF) contests, have surged in popularity during the past decade. Think of them almost like e-sports for ethical hacking. In line with our mission to safeguard users’ data, we at Bitdefender host this event to bring together some of the most skilled teams around the world in areas such as Reverse Engineering, Binary Exploitation, Web Application Auditing, Computer Forensics Investigation, and Cryptography.

We extend a warm invitation to everyone connected to or interested in computer security. Build up a team of friends or seasoned professionals, or even have at it by yourself if that’s your thing. Pit yourselves against the most seasoned security professionals on the CTF scene. Enjoy the experience of displaying your techniques, learning new skills, competing with kindred spirits, all for the chance of claiming the rewards and the glory that comes with them.

Do you like delving deep into programs, websites, and anything related to computers?
Do you like challenging yourself for the pleasure of improvement?
Do you want to see just how good you are compared to the rest?

If any of these questions strikes a nerve, click here to register. We look forward to seeing you showcase your skills!

What do I need to know?

Some skills/knowledge you’ll need throughout the competition:

Systems programming and OS internals (Linux, Windows), executable formats knowledge (ELF, PE)
Reverse Engineering: anti-reverse techniques, anti-debugging techniques, packers, obfuscation, kernel modules
Architectures: X86, X86_64, ARM, Web Assembly
Vulnerability analysis and exploitation of binaries
Web Application Auditing
Computer forensics Investigation: memory forensics, software defined radio, file system forensics
Cryptography: symmetric, asymmetric, post-quantum schemes and general math skills
Graph algorithms

What are the prizes?