Stacking Skills

16 things you’ll learn through MITRE Engenuity’s eCTF

This year, MITRE Engenuity will hold eCTF24, our annual embedded capture the flag competition. Pitting students against students, this hands-on event gives competitors the chance to not only design a secure system, but subsequently defend it against attackers (while simultaneously attacking their competitors).

As critical as education itself, workforce development is an essential component not just of MITRE Engenuity’s work, but of our entire nation’s future as we seek to outperform other nations in the race to achieve new heights in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and security. Through eCTF, participants are thrown head-first into real-world situations that give them a unique opportunity to develop the skills that will set them apart from fellow early-career cybersecurity specialists. Curating competitive skills breeds competitive early-career workers poised to make change in an industry ripe for disruption and growth.

Unique yet interwining tracks

Many students participating in the competition will likely possess the basic, introductory skills of programming and confidentiality, integrity, and availability (or CIA), and eCTF’s build, attack, and defend phases prove an ample training ground for the intermediate, advanced, and expert skills shown ebbing out in the chart below. 

Prioritizing workforce development

Educating the cyber force of tomorrow is critical to our nation’s success, and MITRE Engenuity’s eCTF Competition provides invaluable opportunities to build skills, learn process, and a get a hands-on experience in embedded security. This competition also embeds sponsors in the process, connecting students to top cybersecurity organizations in a relationship that assists not just the students in seeing real world applications of their skills, but the organizations in scoping out top talent to fill increasingly valuable gaps.