At 9:00 p.m. on March 25, AAA Team from the School of Computer Science and Technology of Zhejiang University romped up to the second place after Security Team from Tencent Company with a measly gap behind in ‘Qiang Wang Cup (Cyber Enhancement Cup)’ National Network Security Challenge after 36 hours of fierce competition. It was way ahead of the teams ranking behind it in scores. This round of ‘Qiang Wang Cup (Cyber Enhancement Cup)’ National Network Security Challenge attracted a tally of 2622 teams from all around the country with the number of applicants to the tune of 13250. AAA Team stuck out and notched up the second place or the first place among college teams from domestic top-notched security teams including Tsinghua University, Beijing University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Fudan University, Tencent, Alibaba and so on.
The Network Security Challenge is also addressed as Capture the Flag, or CTF for short. Originated from DEF CON Global Hacker Session convened in 1996, it was a major route to exchange safety technologies at the outset. Over time, CFT grows to one of the most important competitions on network security skills with high participation rate throughout the globe. CFT prioritizes observation on the contesters’ network safety skills, which includes loophole discovery, code analysis, software reverse, electronic forensics and flow analysis. In the case of loophole discovery, the hosting party would implant specific loopholes in the software. Contesters would then hunt for them through software analysis within a specified time frame before realizing usage of loopholes, intruding servers set up by the hosting party and getting and submitting the private files (or flags) and registering the scores. CTF requires that contesters be well equipped with all-out network safety skills, strong fast-learning ability and stamina to maintain production throughout the long course of the race, all serving the purpose of testing both their network security skills and vigor.
Guided by Office of the Coordination Bureau of Network Security under Cyberspace Administration of China, ‘Qiang Wang Cup (Cyber Enhancement Cup)’ National Network Security Challenge is a state-level competition on network security orienting to colleges and domestic companies on information security that intends to foster and improve guarantee capacity and level of cyberspace safety of the country, discover outstanding talents in the sector of cyberspace safety and improve safety awareness and level of public cyberspace with intense confrontation of network competition. This competition tests the contesters’ knowledge and skills on a whole gamut of perspectives covering reverse analysis of binary-system procedure, loophole excavation and use, Web loophole excavation and use, code analysis, smart terminal security, electronic forensics, cyberspace safety and so forth. It firmly revolves around the increasingly significant topic on cyberspace safety against the current macro setting. The competition drew unprecedented attention from the field and can be perceived as one of the toughest challenges with the number of elite teams competing in it.
This competition spanned a long period of 36 hours. Under intense pressure, most members of AAA team worked in succession and delivered a satisfying questionnaire. Directed by Mr. Bai Honghuan, AAA Team comprises of freshman and sophomore students Zhu Songbo, Shi Gongyu and Huang Shan, as well as a batch of senior students including Zhu Jiaqi, Chen Jianyu, Chen Xingyu and Xu Shengjie along with some other upperclassmen. The competition covered topics on loophole use and code analysis familiar to them, and also more unconversant questions concerning such as embedded firmware debugging and kernel loophole. Through speedy learning, members of AAA team eventually worked out the process and drew first blood in the competition.
Ranking graph throughout the competition
AAA Team consists of students obsessed with information safety who performed outstandingly in both domestic and international competitions. On the domestic scale, it won the 2016 ZCFT Championship, the 2017 TCTF Rising Star Championship, the 2017 WHCTF Championship and the 2017 Grand Championship for Challenge of Online Information Safety Management and Maintenance for Colleges and Universities. Internationally, it reached the final round of the SECCON CTF hosted by Japan in both 2016 and 2017. AAA Team joined forces with Tencent, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Fudan University in the DEF CON CTF 25 Grand Finals, receiving 3rd place among an elite group of 10 world-class teams. In 2018, AAA Team also reached the finals of Codegate CTF in Korea.
AAA Team wishes more students who are passionate about information security technology could join us. Together we could dig deep into safety technologies and help escort national network security. We have built up an online platform called Wargame, which provides basic training to help new students locate their learning path, while also helping us find new talents. If you would like to find out more, please visit our website at: https://www.zjusec.com/.
College of Computer Science and Technology
March 28, 2018
