Top Teams Advance to BI.Zone’s Ethical Hacking Finals in a Global CTF Event
The BI.Zone team, a digital risk management firm, reported that ten teams earned a spot in the finals of its ethical hacking competition. The latest round attracted 1,326 teams from 117 countries, underscoring the worldwide enthusiasm for cybersecurity challenges that demand practical, hands-on problem solving.
From the pool of competitors, the ten strongest teams—representing Russia, Indonesia, China, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and France—qualified for the online final, which was scheduled for November 2023. The event carries prize money totaling 18,000 US dollars, with the top prize set at 10,000 dollars, the second prize at 5,000 dollars, and the third prize at 3,000 dollars (BI.Zone press release).
The Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge centers on real-world cybersecurity skills. Participants must secure computer systems, detect and exploit vulnerabilities, and repair services that have been compromised. The format prioritizes practical, hands-on problem solving across multiple security domains, rather than pure theory. This emphasis helps competitors demonstrate their operational proficiency in realistic scenarios (BI.Zone).
BI.Zone highlights the ongoing value of its CTFZone series for participants. Regular competitions provide a steady platform for refining existing skills and acquiring new capabilities within a dynamic, competitive environment. Participation remains open to contestants regardless of country of residence, reflecting the inclusive nature of the program. According to BI.Zone’s security director, the experience helps operators better prepare for real cyber incidents while continuing their everyday professional duties, reinforcing a culture of continuous learning in a fast-paced field (BI.Zone).
In this year’s qualifying round, teams tackled 26 tasks spread across seven categories, blending sports programming with technical challenges such as exploit analysis, cyber-attack investigations, cryptography, and other cybersecurity topics. One task involved neutralizing a malicious file on a compromised machine, while another required decrypting a message sent via a secure messenger built on the Signal protocol. The diverse task mix is designed to evaluate problem-solving speed, teamwork, and the ability to apply security knowledge under pressure—elements highly relevant to modern defense operations (BI.Zone).