2024 MITRE Engenuity Embedded Capture the Flag (eCTF) Competition

Date: Jan 17, 2024 3:32 pm – Apr 17, 2024 3:32 pm
Location: Virtual

Registration for the 2024 MITRE Embedded Capture the Flag (eCTF) Competition is now open at https://ectf.mitre.org! The competition will run over the spring semester from from January 17th through April 17th with an award ceremony on April 26th.

MITRE's eCTF is an embedded security competition that puts university-affiliated teams (3-20 students each) through the experience of creating a secure system and learning from their mistakes. This design-build-attack-style competition helps develop practical skills that can be applied to securing critical embedded systems, such as UAVs, smart grids, and IoT devices.

During the 2024 competition, teams will design and implement a supply chain security solution for microcontrollers on a medical device. The system must securely verify the device integrity while keeping sensitive data confidential.

The eCTF is a unique cybersecurity competition focusing on embedded systems, which present a new set of challenges and security implications. Additionally, the eCTF balances offense and defense by testing and awarding both sets of skills. The competition is split into two six-week phases: "design" and "attack". In the design phase, students develop a secure embedded system that meets a provided set of requirements. In the attack phase, students compete to break the security of other teams' designs.

Competing in the eCTF is a low-faculty-effort, high-student-reward opportunity. Winning teams receive a cash prize, publicity from MITRE, and typically earn accolades from their university as well. Students have used their participation in eCTF to build resumes, present at conferences, and open the door to valuable internship and career opportunities, including engineering positions at MITRE. Many schools offer the eCTF as a for-credit course, often as a special topics course or an independent study. We strongly recommend this route as it helps students to commit time for the competition and recognizes and rewards students for their efforts. An example syllabus is available upon request.

New this year, MITRE Engenuity is inviting industry partners to join the eCTF team to sustain and support the competition. eCTF sponsors can help build the next generation of embedded security professionals while getting access to an incredible list of opportunities.

For more information, please see the attached information packet and flyer, visit our competition website at https://ectf.mitre.org, or reach out to us at ectf@mitre.org. For more information about joining the eCTF team as an industry partner, visit our sponsorship website at https://mitre-engenuity.org/growing-impact/ectf-embedded-capture-the-flag/.

Submitted by Amy Karns on