PC4A Capture the Flag Competition
Team up with your classmates in a jeopardy-style Capture the Flag event and earn your share of a prize pool worth over $4,000!
Competition Details
Event Logistics
Dates: March 28 -29, 2025
Location: Virtual or in-person, you decide!​
Eligibility and Rules
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Any student currently enrolled in a PC4A Partner School is eligible to participant.
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PC4A Partner Schools include Bucks County, Butler County, Montgomery County, Northampton, Penn Highlands, and Westmoreland County Community Colleges.​
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Teams are limited to up to five players.​
How to Participate
1. Login/Sign Up at Hack the Box
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Visit the CTF website to read more about the competition.
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Click "Sign-Up" and follow the steps below.
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To join the competition, you must first login to your existing Hack the Box account, or create a new one.
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To create an account, follow the instructions provided here.
2. Create or Join a Team
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You must create or join a team before registering for the event.
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Work with your teamates to determine who will act as "Captain" and create the team.
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To join a team, search for your team name in the search box.
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Team Captains must accept/reject requests to join.
3. Request the Event Password
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Once you have created/joined a team, request the event password by completing this online form.
4. Register for the Event
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Log in to your Hack The Box account and join the PC4A CTF by entering the event password. Happy hacking!
Download the step by step tutorial here!
Scoring/How to Compete
Capture Flags to Earn Points
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The event consists of 10 challenges across four different topics, and ranging in difficulty.
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Once the competition opens, teams will work together to solve challenges to earn points.
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The team with the highest points at the end of the event wins!​
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More details on scoring can be found here.
Competition Strategies
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Collaboration is key to success. Work with your team to determine a strategy to solve challenges. Below are a few questions to get you started:
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In-Person or Virtual: Does your team want to meet in-person to solve challenges, or connect via zoom or other online meeting platform?
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​Individual or Group: Does your team to want to work on challenges together, or assign challenges to members to attempt on their own?
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Please Note: Challenges can be completed at any point while the competition is open. Work together to determine a schedule that best fits your teams availability.
Useful Links
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Sign up for an HTB Account: Create an HTB Account Event help center: HTB CTF Help Center
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CTF Try Out: CTF Try Out Event Link: PC4A Community College CTF
Prizes
First Place
All team members will receive the following:
$150 Amazon Gift Card
Certification Exam Voucher*
and a
* Students may choose their
perferred exam voucher, up to $180
Second Place
All team members will receive the following:
$100 Amazon Gift Card
Certification Exam Voucher*
and a
* Students may choose their
perferred exam voucher, up to $180
Third Place
All team members will receive the following:
$50 Amazon Gift Card
Certification Exam Voucher*
and a
* Students may choose their
perferred exam voucher, up to $180