When I decided to take the plunge with CTFs, a little bit of Google-Fu showed me that the next CTF I could sign up for was the SANS Community CTF. What better way to jump headfirst into getting some much needed hands-on cyber experience than with SANS, arguably one of the most recognized and respected cybersecurity training organizations in the world.
The SANS Community CTF that happened on October 15th and 16th was a big one for me because it marked my first time participating in a CTF event. I now realize why so many people do it: I had a lot of fun; I learned a lot; it fueled my passion for cybersecurity even more.
DEBRIEF
I'll admit, I was a little nervous when the challenge opened up -- I had no idea what I was doing! And I was doing it solo.
So what did I think about my first CTF experience? I had a ton of fun. Don't get me wrong. There were times where I was frustrated and lost. But I can see why people participate in these all the time.
As a cyber enthusiast without professional experience, I'm seeking out opportunities to learn hands-on skills. And although some may argue that CTFs don't translate to real world scenarios, it does give hands-on experience with tools used in the industry. More importantly, it works on generalized skills that would be a great benefit to job seekers: research, analysis, work ethic, and reporting.
My goal when I first logged onto the event was to try and complete all the challenges that were categorized as "Easy". Not only did I do that, but I also completed a handful of "Medium" ones and a "Difficult" one! In the end, I ranked 184 out of 1,055! I'll take that any day! When it all comes down to the nitty gritty, I'm doing this to learn and am not concerned with rank.
Things I learned:
Data type recognition
Relationships between data types (conversion)
Buffer overflows
Forensics
Tools I used:
I created write-ups for all the challenges I successfully completed. Please click the link below to check them out:
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