National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

12/25/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/25/2023 03:11

Cybersecurity Talent Shines Internationally: Taiwan team TWN 48 takes 3rd place at DEF CON 31

By NYCU CCS MAGAZINE
Edited by Yen-Chien, Lai
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In August of this year, "Taiwan team TWN 48" achieved a remarkable third-place finish at the DEF CON 31 Capture the Flag (CTF) competition held in Las Vegas, USA. Comprising members from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), National Taiwan University (NTU), cybersecurity communities, and industry, the team surpassed hackers from various countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, and Italy.

DEF CON (Hacking Conference) is a well-known global cybersecurity technology conference that hosts cybersecurity forums and competitions. The DEF CON CTF (Capture the Flag) is particularly renowned as a world-class competition, drawing cybersecurity experts from nations.The top spot in this competition was taken by the "Maple Mallard Magistrates (MMM)" team, a formidable collaboration between the well-known US-based PPP team from Carnegie Mellon University and their Korean counterparts, The Duck. Following in second place was the "Blue Water" team, which currently holds the number one rank on the CTFTime world leaderboard.

In the current year, Taiwan's TWN48 team is led by two prominent cybersecurity teams, TSJ and Balsn. The team consists of 54 members, including current students and alumni of our university's computer science department, students from both NTU's computer science and electrical engineering departments, as well as a select group of promising young talents from the cybersecurity community and industry.

Fostering Unity and Adaptability: TWN48's Journey in the Dynamic Realm of International Cybersecurity Competitions
Ever since Taiwan's second-place finish in the DEF CON CTF competition back in 2014, the country has maintained a consistent presence in the finals, securing a global third-place finish for the third time this year. (photo from National Center for Cyber Security Technology, NCCST)

In their pursuit of success in this competition, the participants didn't rely solely on continuous practice to sharpen their practical skills. They also utilized pre-competition workshops to enhance the bonding within the team through face-to-face communication. These workshops played a crucial role in fostering effective collaboration and synergy among team members, particularly those with less prior experience of teamwork.

For example, on the day of the competition, a minor incident occurred when the competition machine stopped working accidentally. Fortunately, the team worked together to swiftly disassemble and repair the machine so as to ensure a seamless start to the competition.

During the competition, besides the "Attack and Defense" challenges and the "King of the Hill" (KOH) contests, where scoring depends on leadership frequency or time, the recent introduction of LiveCTF challenges with a sports competition flavor has brought increased diversity to the event.

The competition has also grown more demanding due to the various challenges and dynamic variables in the organizer's network architecture. Nevertheless, the team members, drawing upon their synergy and experience, not only sustain a deeply cooperative atmosphere but also unite to effectively address unexpected obstacles like rule modifications or network problems encountered by team members.


Team members effectively overcome obstacles through collaborative cooperation in the competition. (photo from National Center for Cyber Security Technology, NCCST)

Professor Chun-Ying Huang: TWN48 is Taiwan's most spiritually empowered large-scale cybersecurity enthusiast group.

Professor Chun-Ying Huang, a faculty member of our university's computer science department and one of the supervising professors leading the team in this competition, conveyed that "TWN48 is Taiwan's most spiritually empowered large-scale cybersecurity enthusiasts' community." Their fundamental philosophy centers on the "ability to solve MISC problems," and they maintain an unswerving connection with computers, rarely parting ways.

Between the preliminary rounds and the start of the finals, team members autonomously hold bi-weekly online meetings to develop various tools that might prove useful during the competition. These tools encompass attack management software, packet analysis utilities, code correction applications, scoring statistics tools, and more.
During the preliminary round of DEF CON 31 CTF in May this year, the Taiwan team demonstrated their resilience by enduring 48 hours of non-stop competition, distinguishing themselves among 1828 global teams, and securing a fifth-place spot in the finals. During the finals, even though they encountered difficulties in the challenging LiveCTF category, the players persisted, putting in tireless effort throughout sleepless nights.
In the end, they secured a remarkable third-place ranking in the finals! Professor Hsu-Chun Hsiao, one of the coaching professors from the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at NTU, also noted that many of the teams that reached the finals were collaborations from international communities and possessed substantial capabilities. The brilliant accomplishment of the Taiwan team TWN48 is indeed praiseworthy.

The Key to Competitive Success: Strategic Support and Organizational Excellence
Unlike previous years, when the Taiwanese team had to proactively pursue corporate sponsorships to secure funding after reaching the finals and when the restricted preparation time impeded player familiarity and cohesion, this time, the competition received support and direction from the Administration for Cyber Security, the National Institute of Cyber Security, and the Ministry of Education's AIS3 program.
They conducted preparatory workshops before the competition to assist the participating team. Leveraging their collective experience from past competitions, they formed a specialized team based on individual expertise and the specific problem-solving demands of each category. Additionally, a management mechanism was introduced to streamline team operations and the dispatch of problem-solving tasks, enabling the players to concentrate fully on the competition without any concerns.
By actively promoting participation in large-scale international cybersecurity competitions, we aim to enable Taiwan's young cybersecurity talents to acquire valuable learning and practical experience. Through this effort, we not only cultivate cybersecurity professionals among students and professionals but also seek to enhance Taiwan's international visibility and overall competitiveness.