Gear up to embark on an exciting journey into the world of cybersecurity excellence! The Hackerverse CTF is not just a competition; it's a battlefield of skills, strategy, and innovation, designed to challenge and empower the brightest minds in the cyber community. These guidelines and rules are your ultimate playbook—crafted to ensure fair play and help you conquer challenges with confidence.
Guidelines for Hackerverse CTF Challenges
In Hackerverse CTF challenges, you will face individual challenges, earning points with every success—earlier completions earn higher rewards, driving fierce competition. Each month brings new, expertly designed challenges that test your proficiency. Before you dive in, make sure to review the guidelines below to maximize your performance and stay ahead of the competition!
Registration and Communication
Once you register, the excitement begins! Expect monthly challenge details delivered straight to your inbox about a week before each start date.
Note: We’re leveling up with a Discord server in the works—a hub for players to connect with organizers and fellow participants. Stay tuned!
The Leaderboard
Every challenge counts! Bring your A-game and rise to the top to earn cash and in-kind awards.
Monthly Awards: Top players earn awards based on their standings at the end of each month—if they meet award eligibility criteria.
End of Season Awards: Dominate the season and claim ultimate bragging rights with grand prizes for the highest overall rankings!
Players on the leaderboard are classified into four distinct ranking tiers: Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, and Grandmaster.
All new players begin at the Apprentice rank.
To achieve Journeyman status, a player must:
- Rank in the 25th percentile or higher on the leaderboard
- Successfully complete at least 50% of Journeyman-level challenges
To attain Master rank, a player must:
- Rank in the 50th percentile or higher on the leaderboard
- Successfully complete at least 50% of Master-level challenges
To reach Grandmaster rank, a player must:
- Rank in the 75th percentile or higher on the leaderboard
- Successfully complete at least 50% of Grandmaster-level challenges
As the season progresses, players' ranks may fluctuate based on their performance metrics and ability to complete new challenges. Rankings are dynamic, allowing players to advance to higher tiers or move to lower tiers depending on their ongoing achievements and relative standing on the leaderboard.
Challenge Scoring System
Our dynamic scoring system rewards both skill and speed. The faster you solve challenges, the more points you earn.
At EC-Council, we pride ourselves on transparency, so we’re laying it all out for you.
- Dynamic Scoring: A challenge’s point value decreases with each solve. This means, the faster you solve, the more points you earn. As more players complete a challenge, its value naturally decreases.
- Fair Play: Our scoring system ensures easier, frequently solved challenges are worth fewer points than harder, less solved ones.
Initial challenge points range from 10 to 500, based on difficulty and category.
The scoring system tracks three key values per challenge:
- Initial: The starting point value
- Decay: Number of solves before reaching minimum points
- Minimum: The lowest possible point value
The point decay follows this formula:
value = (((minimum - initial) / (decay ** 2)) * (solve_count ** 2)) + initial
value = math.ceil(value)
If the calculated value falls below the minimum, the minimum value is used instead.
Why Parabolic Decay?
This system ensures higher-value challenges keep their worth longer, unlike linear or exponential methods. It rewards precision and timing, keeping the competition fair and exciting.
Challenge Difficulty Levels
Hackerverse Hackerverse CTF challenges are categorized into four distinct difficulty levels, each with its own point range:
- Apprentice : Very Easy
- Journeyman : Easy
- Master : Medium
- Grandmaster : Hard
Each challenge may consist of multiple questions or tasks. Players earn points for solving individual components within a challenge. This structure allows for partial credit while maintaining consistent scoring across difficulty tiers.
Challenge Release Schedule
New challenges are released on the platform at the start of the second week of each month, focusing on core themes in reverse engineering, malware analysis, forensics, cryptography, and offensive security. Below are the planned monthly themes:
| Month | Theme |
|---|---|
| March | Reverse Engineering, Malware Analysis |
| April | Forensics, Cryptography |
| May | Offensive Security |
| June | Reverse Engineering, Malware Analysis |
| July | Forensics, Cryptography |
| August | Offensive Security |
| September | Reverse Engineering, Malware Analysis |
| October | Forensics, Cryptography |
| November | Offensive Security |
| December | Reverse Engineering, Malware Analysis |
Access to Challenges:
- Most challenges remain available throughout the season, giving you the chance to catch up and earn points.
- Offensive Security challenges are the exception—they’re accessible only during the month of their release.
Example: If you register in May, you can still access challenges from February and March but April challenges (including offensive security) will no longer be available.
Prize Eligibility:
Participants can only win prizes for the month they register and the End of Season awards.
Example: If you register in April, you’re eligible for April prizes and grand prizes at the season's end. Prizes for earlier months won’t apply.
How to Qualify for Awards: Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for awards in the Hackerverse CTF, participants must meet the following requirements:
- Leaderboard Position: Secure a prize-winning position on the leaderboard.
- Top Performers: Rank within the top 50th percentile of all participants.
- Challenge Completion: Successfully complete at least 30% of all available challenges.
For top 3 positions, participants must successfully complete at least 50% of Master-level (medium difficulty) tasks and questions.
The Certificate of Participation will be sent by email to all those who complete Apprentice Challenges and at least one question should be answered correctly in Journeyman Challenges.
Note: Refer to our Terms and Conditions for comprehensive eligibility information and complete award program details.
Awards
Monthly awards for winners.
| Awards (Issued Monthly) | Description (on a monthly basis) |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | $2,500 in-kind EC-Council Resources*( or $500 Cash |
| 2nd Place | $1,500 in-kind EC-Council Resources*(or $250 Cash through Paypal |
| 3rd Place | $1,000 in-kind EC-Council Resources*, or $100 Cash |
| 4th – 5th | 12 months free EC Council’s Microlearning Cybersecurity Video Library EC-Council Learning Subscription * |
| 6th – 10th | 9 months free EC-Council Learning Pro Subscription* |
| 11th – 25th | 6 months free EC-Council Learning Pro Subscription* |
End of season awards
| Awards (Issued Monthly) | Description (on a monthly basis) |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | $5000 Cash plus 12 months EC Council Learning Pro Subscription* |
| 2nd Place | $2500 Cash plus 12 months EC Council Learning Pro Subscription |
| 3rd Place | $1000 Cash plus 12 months EC Council Learning Pro Subscription * |
| 4th – 10th | $200 + 6months free EC Council Learning Pro Subscription* |
| 10th – 20th | $100 + 3 months free EC Council Learning Pro Subscription* |
Rules for Hackerverse CTF Challenges
The Hackerverse CTF competition rules are designed to promote integrity, strategy, and skill. Participants must adhere to the rules, ensuring fair play, so every competitor has an equal shot at victory. Failure to comply with these rules may result in disqualification.
Scope of Attacks
- Participants are strictly limited to exploiting, attacking, or interacting with systems and services that are explicitly designated as part of the CTF (Capture the Flag?) challenges.
- Attempts to attack, exploit, or interfere with the competition infrastructure (including but not limited to the scoreboard, registration systems, or hosting platforms) are strictly prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification.
Fair Play
Participants must not interfere with others' progress in any way. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
- Deliberately spreading misinformation
Maintaining fairness ensures a competitive and respectful environment for all participants. Violations will lead to disqualification.
Individual Participation
Hackerverse CTF competitions are designed for individual participants. Each player must:
- Register with their own unique identity, which will be linked to all submissions and prize distributions.
- Ensure their account is secure and used solely by them.
Participants are fully responsible for safeguarding their account credentials and ensuring no unauthorized access. Collaboration or account sharing is strictly prohibited.
Proof of Eligibility
All winners must provide valid proof of identity verifying their country of residence. Acceptable forms of verification include: (PII should be masked)
- Government-issued ID
- Passport
- Driver’s license
For Student Division Winners:
Additional proof of student status is required, such as:
- Government-issued ID with date of birth
- Current student ID card
- Official enrolment letter from educational institution
- Other relevant educational documentation
Organizer's Rights:
The competition organizer reserves the right to:
- Request additional verification if the initial documents are insufficient.
- Disqualify participants who fail to provide adequate proof within 7 days of the request.
- Withhold prizes until proper verification is submitted.
- Reassign prizes if verification requirements are not met.
Participants are encouraged to ensure their documentation is ready and accurate to avoid delays or disqualification.
Use of Tools and Resources
Participants are permitted to use any publicly available tools or resources unless a specific challenge explicitly prohibits their use.
- The use of commercial tools is allowed; however, participants are responsible for ensuring that they have obtained proper licenses.
- Any tools or resources must be used in compliance with their respective terms and conditions.
Ethical Conduct
All activities conducted as part of the CTF must strictly comply with applicable laws and regulations.
Key Guidelines:
- Participants must respect the privacy of others and avoid unauthorized access to systems or data.
- Intellectual property rights must be upheld, ensuring fair use of resources and materials.
Violations of ethical standards will result in disqualification and may lead to further consequences under applicable laws.
Communication
All official competition announcements will be made through designated channels, such as emails, the competition platform, etc.
Participant Responsibilities:
- Stay updated by regularly checking these channels for announcements, updates, or changes.
- Ensure timely acknowledgment of important communications to avoid missing critical information.
Staying informed is key to a smooth competition experience!
Scoring and Flags
- Only valid flags submitted through the official platform will be accepted and counted toward your score.
- In the event of any scoring discrepancies, the decision of the competition organizers will be considered final and binding.
Disqualification
The competition organizers reserve the right to disqualify any participant who:
- Fails to comply with the competition rules.
- Engages in unethical behavior or actions detrimental to the competition.
Key Notes:
- Disqualification decisions are made at the sole discretion of the organizers.
- All decisions regarding disqualification are final and cannot be appealed.
Participants are expected to uphold the integrity of the competition at all times.
Rule Changes
The competition organizers reserve the right to modify the rules at any time.
Key Points:
- Any changes will be communicated to participants through official channels.
- By participating, you agree to adhere to all rules, including any updates or modifications.
- Failure to comply with the rules may result in disqualification and forfeiture of prizes.