The void* vikings are the security club and CTF team of Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to promote security culture, ethics, research, ongoing education, and development of safer code through playing in Capture the Flag competitions. The 2020-21 officers are Robin Su, Allison Marie Naaktgeboren, and Evan Johnson.
CTFs are beloved by industry as an entry point into the security profession. However, they can be confusing and overwhelming for people new to the game style and the security field at large. We’ll cover background on CTFs, game styles, common pitfalls for new players, best practices, and some strategies to get the most out of CTFs (even if you’re not a conventional player). We’ll walk through some challenges and have we solved them (or didn’t). All you need is your computer and a willingness to learn, although a browser and a terminal will be helpful.