“Attackers solely must be proper as soon as. You, as a defender, must be proper 100% of the time.”
—Cybersecurity Knowledgeable Jim Risler
It’s a widely known trendy trope in films and TV exhibits. A lone determine, head coated, hunches over a keyboard within the darkness. Instantly you understand you’re a hacker doing nefarious issues.
However hacking isn’t all the time fictional. Knowledge breaches are on the rise, costing companies tens of millions. From 2021 to 2023, there was a 72% enhance in knowledge breaches, with e mail being the most typical vector for malware. An information breach is projected to value a mean of $4.88 million in 2024. It’s extra vital than ever for firms to upskill their networking groups—and it’s an open job marketplace for these trying to study cybersecurity.
I spoke with the content material creators of the brand new Seize the Flag challenges inside Cisco U.—Jim Risler, Cisco Studying Product Supervisor, overseeing safety course growth, and Paul Ostrowski, Cisco Technical Schooling Content material Developer—to get perception into the competitors and why it’s so vital for anybody involved in a cybersecurity profession.
What’s a Seize the Flag cybersecurity problem?
First, what does Seize the Flag (CTF) imply? Mainly, it’s a sport wherein there’s a defensive and an offensive workforce competing to win a flag or flags. It may very well be a sporting occasion, for youngsters or adults. On this context, Seize the Flag is a cybersecurity problem.
Seize the Flag has lengthy been used within the tech neighborhood for individuals to follow their cybersecurity expertise. The world’s largest occasion is Def Con CTF, happening in Las Vegas yearly. Seize the Flag challenges are additionally utilized by huge firms and universities to coach individuals in cybersecurity.
It’s often a contest between groups: the offense (purple workforce) and the protection (blue workforce); or, if either side are labored concurrently, a purple workforce. It may very well be in individual, on-line, on a multi-person workforce, or with particular person opponents.
How can I take part in a Cisco U. Seize the Flag problem?
You will be wherever on this planet to take part within the Cisco U. Seize the Flag on-line challenges. Participation is particular person. Right here’s the right way to get began.
Passing one CTF problem plus the Cisco Networking Academy course will earn you the Cisco Certificates in Moral Hacking.
How does a Cisco U. Seize the Flag problem work?
Each problem will work a little bit in a different way. The primary challenges (working by means of 2/11/2025) don’t separate you into blue or purple groups. “In Cisco U. the 2 CTFs we’ve now are extra blue workforce since you’re doing investigation response, and testing your skills to detect assaults,” notes Ostrowski. “You’re functioning as an investigator in each missions.”
Now that Cisco U. has a Challenges characteristic contained in the platform, there might be new Seize the Flag on-line cybersecurity challenges each quarter. Anticipate quite a lot of CTFs, together with purple team-focused ones, the place you infiltrate a community and expose its vulnerabilities.
Every problem consists of quite a lot of steps- at the moment 11 steps– you should full one after the other to go. Step one guides you thru organising your lab setting, which you’ll want for the rest of the problem.
What rating do you should go a Cisco U. CTF problem?
Is there a minimal rating you should go? In no way.
“The unique thought was to make this rating out of 100, however now it’s simply go or fail,” notes Ostrowski. “So in case you get to Step 11 and appropriately reply it, you’ve handed.”
Hints can be found all through. You’ll get factors taken away in case you use a touch, nevertheless it’s structured so that you’ll go no matter whether or not you reply the whole lot appropriately.
“There’s an previous know-how factor geeks like myself say,” says Risler. “RTFM. Learn the Pleasant guide. It’s all in there for you.” His hints will let you know the place to look in case you missed a clue.
Do you want further coaching previous to taking the Cisco Networking Academy course?
“Technically you don’t want further coaching, however it’s best to perceive networking,” Risler advises. “Cisco Networking Academy has some fundamentals of networking programs to offer you an excellent basis.”
Constructing a robust basis in networking is a crucialHe notes that as an teacher at a college, he sees school college students who lack this basis leaping into extra complicated cybersecurity coaching anyway after which struggling to catch up. “Their professors aren’t geeks like me, they…simply inform the children to review stuff of their e book and the following factor you understand…the college students are like, ‘Why is IP addressing vital?’ If you don’t perceive that, you don’t perceive networking.” And you gained’t achieve success in cybersecurity.
Who ought to do Cisco U. Seize the Flag on-line?
Anybody involved in cybersecurity ought to hop onto the CTF problem to each study and take a look at expertise. “The target of CTF is to bridge the hole between entry-level and execs in cybersecurity, offering hands-on studying with real-world information, expertise, and talents,” says Risler. “A variety of firms say they’ve this hole. They could have booked cybersecurity training, however the packages don’t do labs or hands-on, or it’s all on a Home windows machine. In our CTF, they undergo the moral hacker course, and so they’re taught on a DNS (area identify system)/lab setting, after which that information and expertise are utilized in a close to real-world setting.”
What Cisco U. coaching ought to I take after Seize the Flag?
So that you’ve completed each CTF challenges in Cisco U. Congratulations! What do you do subsequent, in addition to anticipate our subsequent problem to do extra?
There are solely two paths to pursue in safety, in keeping with Risler. “I actually suppose we overcomplicate it,” he says. “There’s an engineering mindset: constructing the structure and securing the community. Or there’s defending the community, which is someone who appears to be like for threats on the community.”
For those who’re into defending the community, the following areas you’ll be able to research are:
Between Cisco U. and Cisco Networking Academy, you will get all of the training you want for any security-related profession. Cisco is a cybersecurity chief, with protecting merchandise like Cisco Umbrella and the intelligence middle, Talos, which analyzes 4 TB of menace knowledge on daily basis. “At Cisco we’re instructing you the way cyberattacks are profitable,” says Risler. “You’re studying how they’re in a position to get a foothold in someplace after which why did the goal assault work? Why did the malware assault on the British healthcare system work? How might you defend in opposition to that?” Cisco is uniquely positioned to have a look at cyberattacks from a purple perspective, seeing what’s coming subsequent and stopping what’s coming now—and go all that information onto learners.
Risler recommends:
The Sandworm by Andy Greenberg. The true story of probably the most devastating act of cyberwarfare in historical past and the determined hunt to establish and observe the elite Russian brokers behind it. It’s an excellent learn for anybody involved in cybersecurity and in addition a incredible e book membership alternative.
Inform us what’s thrilling to you about Seize the Flag within the feedback beneath. Thanks for studying!
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