The 2023 Challenge has begun!
The annual MITRE Embedded Capture the Flag (eCTF) competition kicked off this week, beginning a semester long challenge that puts the future cyber workforce to the test: we task participants with not only developing security systems, but also immediately battle testing their work. Aside from being lively and engaging, this work is increasingly relevant, the embedded systems at the heart of the competition are becoming present in more and more devices found in everyday use.
A Unique Opportunity
The eCTF competition is highly effective because of its distinctive phases. After an initial system development phase, teams switch gears and attack other teams’ systems. Mistakes made in development are revealed and exploited by the attacks of others. Getting a chance to play both defense and offense creates a unique learning environment that inspires creativity, strategic thinking, and a rapid honing of cyber expertise. More than just an enjoyable enterprise, the competition is beneficial to students in both the short and long term. Students have fun (with many schools offering course credit for participation) and gain new skills, while also forming relationships that may lead to enhanced career opportunities. To bolster the value for students and because of our continued focus on workforce development, we have introduced corporate sponsors to this year’s competition. This creates opportunities for students to engage with leading companies in embedded systems and cybersecurity.
Broad Reach into the Future Workforce
Since its inception, the eCTF competition has realized more than 100% year over year growth in the number of teams participating and the roster of eCTF participants continues to grow. Registrant teams include dozens of universities (listed below), as well as multiple career centers, high schools and extracurricular programs. Our registrants expand far beyond the US, with representatives from countries such as India, Singapore, Scotland and the Netherlands. At an individual level, participating students are:
· 7% high schoolers
· 48% underclassman
· 23% graduating seniors
· 23% graduate students
All of the competitors are studying highly relevant tech curriculums with
· 43% in computer science
· 26% in cyber security
· 23% in electrical and computer engineering
Sponsoring the Future With electrical engineering, computer science, and cybersecurity roles becoming increasingly critical in the face of global strategic competition, bolstering interest and opportunities for our future workforce is vital. This year’s program offers sponsors access to the participating students, giving the students early exposure to potential careers and giving top companies a rare look at talent in action. While the eCTF sponsorship program’s top tier quickly sold out, there are additional opportunities available for companies to get involved this semester here. Current sponsors include Fortinet, CrowdStrike, Analog Devices, Boston Cybernetics Institute, and Rambus.
Making a Difference
The eCTF competition is a great way to enhance workforce development in the field of embedded systems security as our reliance on microchips for daily use continues to grow. It’s also a great way to understand the value of this competition is to hear directly from past participants themselves. You can learn more from Ben Janis, a former participant who connected with MITRE through eCTF and is now a part of the team running the competition, as he shares his participant experience in this post.
This year the eCTF’s focus is on how to protect a key fob for car door lock. – if you’re wondering why microchips that aren’t connected to the internet still need security systems, learn all about that here.
1. Air Force Institute of Technology
2. AJ College of Science and Technology
3. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University
4. Baldwin Wallace University
5. BASIS Chandler
6. Carnegie Mellon University
7. Center I (Albemarle County Public Schools)
8. Clarendon High School
9. Clemson University
10. Delaware Area Career Center
11. Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School
12. Farmington High School
13. Florida Atlantic University
14. Florida International University
15. Georgia Institute of Technology
16. Hanze University of Applied Sciences
17. Harmony Science Academy
18. Huntsville City Schools Cyber Academy
19. Indian Institute of Technology Madras
20. Indiana Institute of Technology
21. Independent School District 196
22. Johns Hopkins University
23. Kilgore College
24. Lakota East High School
25. Louisiana State University
26. Marriotts Ridge High School
27. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
28. Michigan State University
29. Morgan State University
30. Mount Saint Dominic Academy
31. New Century Technology High School
32. New York University
33. Norfolk State University
34. North Carolina State University
35. Northern Virginia Community College
36. Nova Southeastern University
37. Parkway Spark!
38. Penn State Abington
39. Purdue University
40. River Hill High School
41. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
42. Searcy High School
43. Singapore Management University
44. Springfield-Clark County CTC
45. SRM Institute of Science and Technology
46. Symbiosis Institute of Technology
47. Texas A&M University
48. Thadomal Shahani Engineering College
49. The Harker School
50. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
51. Tufts University
52. United States Military Academy
53. University at Buffalo
54. University of Alabama in Huntsville
55. University of Arizona
56. University of California Irvine
57. University of California Santa Cruz
58. University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
59. University of Connecticut
60. University of Dayton
61. University of Edinburgh
62. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
63. University of Maryland College Park
64. University of Massachusetts Amherst
65. University of New Hampshire
66. University of New Haven
67. University of North Dakota
68. University of Texas at Arlington
69. University of Texas at Dallas
70. University of Washington
71. University of Wyoming
72. US Air Force Academy
73. Virginia State University
74. Virginia Tech
75. Wellington High School
76. West Virginia University
77. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
78. Xavier University
79. Zambia University College of Technology
© 2023 MITRE Engenuity, LLC. Approved for Public Release. Document number ME0056
