PwC's 'Capture the Flag' Contest Tests Students' Security Skills

It is a well known fact that India faces a shortage of skilled cyber security professionals. This skills gap is making organizations more vulnerable to cyber security threats. Against this backdrop, PwC sponsored an innovative competition called ‘Capture The Flag’ (CTF) at CERC@IIIT Delhi campus on Feb 13, 2015. More than 30 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 10 colleges and universities in India participated in the event.

The five-hour competition, which ran from 3PM to 8PM, saw participants working in teams of threes and fours.

The participants raced to capture different flags/vulnerabilities/strategic points of varying difficulty levels in the environment setup by PwC and learned to capture files containing secure information

The event aimed to not only promote Cyber Security awareness amongst the students but also provided a platform for participants to test their IT security skills by effectively utilizing computer science disciplines to focus on holistic cyber security.

CTF was the first of its kind event aimed at raising awareness about cyber security amongst academia and help cultivate talent. Similar such events have traditionally targeted the industry.