A romantic getaway on the high seas turns tragic in this year’s Capture the Flag – do you have what it takes to crack the case? This year’s game will take place from October 15 – October 22 and registration is open now. Whether you’re a seasoned digital forensics pro or new to the field, give it a shot and see how you do – this is a friendly competition meant to be fun and challenging.

If you’ve played Cellebrite’s CTF before, you’ll already know three of the characters in this year’s storyline – Sharon, Felix and Russell. This year we’re adding some new faces for another scenario that will put your digital forensics skills to the test.

What is CTF?

Join us for Capture the Flag

If you’re brand new to CTF, you may be asking yourself, what is Capture the Flag? This is an annual friendly, fun and challenging competition created by Cellebrite digital forensic experts including Heather Barnhart, Josh Hickman, Ronen Engler and Jean Philippe Noat. They’ve been working for months to set up a real-world scenario allowing players to analyze files, logs and disk images. Players will solve challenges to collect “flags,” pieces of information hidden within datasets provided during the game.

Why Should I Play?

This is a chance for hands-on learning in a safe environment. This is a real-world scenario, but not real-world evidence, so you can experiment and make mistakes without any real-world consequences. You will be exposed to unique scenarios, artifacts or data types that you wouldn’t normally see, giving you a broader knowledge base during an actual investigation.

Alright, I’m Ready to Play…How Do I Join?

It’s free to join, just sign up to be a member of the 101 community and register for the fun. This is open to digital forensics professionals across the globe and is a great opportunity to connect with others in the field and stay updated on the newest trends, techniques and tools.

RELATED: DFU Talks: Why You Should Play Capture the Flag

What to Know Before You Play

  • CTF Start Date:  October 15, 2024 at 12:01 a.m. EDT 
  • CTF End Date: October 22, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EDT

Once you’re registered to play, you can access the game’s datasets, which must be downloaded before answering the CTF questions. A password will be provided via email and will also be available on Discord and on our CTF blog on October 8, 2024. Make sure you are using a verified email to play. If you are emailing from a non-work email, introduce yourself with an X account, LinkedIn account or another method to show you are not a bot.

After confirming your email, you will go to the CTF site and have the option to Create a Team or Join a Team. Teams are limited to three people. You need to know the Team Name and Team Password to join an existing team.

  • When processing the extractions, we recommend using additional enrichments available in Cellebrite Inseyets Physical Analyzer (PA) 10.
  • If you are not using Inseyets.PA 10, some enrichments may not be available.
  • For those without an Inseyets.PA 10 license, we are giving a fully functional (time-limited) license and access to the software, once we validate that you are not a bot.*

Cellebrite also has a CTF Channel on Discord, if you aren’t a member, this guide gets you started. If you have any questions, our team is here to help ctf@cellebrite.com.

Have Fun and Good Luck!

Some of the best minds in the digital forensics business create the CTF, and by the end of the game, players will undoubtedly learn something new and be more confident in their abilities.

This is a friendly competition, yet there will be winners, which gets you not only bragging rights but also some prizes. We will announce the winners, one team (3 players max) and and five individual winners on October 23, 2024 on Cellebrite’s X and LinkedIn accounts and its CTF Discord channel. Winners will award a Cellebrite CTF challenge and FREE passes to the C2C Summit in Spring of 2025.

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