About the eCTF¶
The Embedded Capture the Flag (eCTF) is an embedded security competition run over the spring semester by MITRE Engenuity that puts participants through the experience of trying to create a secure system and then learning from their mistakes.
The eCTF is unique from other CTF competitions that you may be familiar with. First the focus of the eCTF is on embedded systems, which present a new set of challenges and security implications. Second, the eCTF balances defense and offense by testing and rewarding both sets of skills during the Design Phase and Attack Phase, respectively. Finally, to allow the complexity of the eCTF, the competition runs over the entire spring semester from mid-January through mid-April.
Sections:
Design Phase¶
In the Design Phase, each team must design and implement a system that meets a set of functional requirements and security requirements. Teams will be provided with a Reference Design that meets the functional requirements but intentionally does not attempt to meet any security requirement. Teams may use the reference design as a starting point or build their design from scratch.
During the Design Phase, teams may score points by capturing Design Phase Flags which show that teams are making progress towards a complete design. Flags must be submitted on the Scoreboard by their deadlines for points to be awarded. Additionally, teams may score points by finding functional errors in the tools and example design provided by the organizers as part of the Bug Bounty.
Handoff¶
Once a team has finished their design, they may submit it to Handoff. The process of a team submitting their design to the eCTF organizers at the end of the Design Phase. Only designs that pass all functional testing and meet the rules of the competition will complete Handoff and move to the Attack Phase.
Attack Phase¶
During the Attack Phase each design that has been validated during Handoff will be made available to other teams for attack. Teams will be able to load other teams’ designs on a physical microcontroller with a secure bootloader provided by the organizers.
Award Ceremony¶
After the competition has ended, teams will gather in person and virtually at the Award Ceremony. The Award Ceremony is an opportunity to get to meet the eCTF organizers, the sponsors, and your fellow competitors and share about your experiences during the competition.
Information about the 2024 Award Ceremony can be found at 2024 Award Ceremony.
