Carnegie Mellon Conquers All in 3rd DEF CON Capture the Flag Victory

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 08/09/16

A Carnegie Mellon University computer security team has taken the title of this year's DefCon "capture the flag" competition. This is the third time in four years that the Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP) nabbed the trophy during the annual hacking event in Las Vegas.

In capture the flag teams attempt to earn points by cracking into the servers belonging to their competitors in order to grab virtual flags while protecting their own gear.

"The consistency of our team's performance over the last four years demonstrates [Carnegie Mellon's] strength in cybersecurity education and research," said Jim Garrett, dean of the university's college of engineering, in a press release announcing the victory. "These students will clearly help drive the next level of cybersecurity."

Capture the flag is only one of many activities that make up the yearly event. Concerts, technical presentations, kids-only sessions, scavenger hunts, badge hacking and a mini-movie fest — among other doings — rounded out Def Con 24.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • a glowing gaming controller, a digital tree structure, and an open book

    Report: Use of Game Engines Expands Beyond Gaming

    Game development technology is increasingly being utilized beyond its traditional gaming roots, according to the recently released annual "State of Game Development" report from development and DevOps solutions provider Perforce Software.

  • abstract representation of equity at the core of AI

    Why Equity Must Be a Core Part of the Conversation About AI

    AI is an immensely powerful tool that can provide customized support for students with diverse learning needs, tailoring educational experiences to meet student’s individual needs more effectively. However, significant disparities in AI access and digital literacy skills prevent many of these same students from fully leveraging its benefits.

  • Man wearing headset working on a computer

    Internet2: Network Routing Security and RPKI Adoption in Research and Education

    We ask James Deaton, vice president of network services, about Internet2's initiatives and leadership efforts to promote routing security and RPKI adoption in research and higher education networks.

  • network of transparent cloud icons, each containing a security symbol like a lock or shield

    Okta, OpenID Foundation Propose New Identity Security Standard

    Okta and the OpenID Foundation have announced the formation of the IPSIE Working Group — with the acronym standing for Interoperability Profiling for Secure Identity in the Enterprise — dedicated to a new identity security standard for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.