Engaging Novices in Cybersecurity Competitions: A Vision and Lessons Learned at ACM Tapia 2015

Cybersecurity competitions are popular tools for attracting students to cybersecurity field. Yet, many competitions require extensive preparation, strong coding skills and solid background knowledge, not just in security, but also in system administration, networking and operating systems. As such, competitions may discourage novices that lack in one of these required areas. In this paper we discuss our experience in using Class Capture-the-Flag Exercises (CCTFs) to bridge this gap in classes, and in 2015 ACM Richard Tapia Security workshop. We recount lessons learned and map a way forward, towards collaborative, more structured cybersecurity competitions that better support and engage novices, and offer a positive learning experience to all.