Undergrads take runner-up spot at National Network Security Challenge

A team of undergraduates from ZJU’s School of Computer Science and Technology have clinched the second place at the National Network Security Challenge held on March 25, behind the Tencent team by a narrow margin.

Ranking graph

Named “AAA”, the team comprises ZJU freshmen and sophomores ZHU Songbo, SHI Gongyu and HUANG Shan, and junior/senior students such as ZHU Jiaqi, CHEN Jianyu, CHEN Xingyu and XU Shengjie.

Despite intense pressure, AAA members had a brilliant performance with continuous efforts and speedy learning during the competition that lasted for 36 hours.

Topics covered in the competition include loophole use, code analysis, and such innovative questions as embedded firmware debugging and kernel loophole.

The competition attracted 2,622 teams (13,250 applicants) from all around the country. They include top-notch security teams from Zhejiang, Tsinghua, Peking, Shanghai Jiao Tong, and Fudan universities as well as leading tech companies such as Tencent and Alibaba.

Guided by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the National Network Security Challenge is a state-level competition on network security for colleges and domestic enterprises of information security.

The network security challenge is also called Capture the Flag (CTF). Originated in 1996 at the DEF CON Global Hacker Session, it was a major place to share and exchange security technologies. CFT has become one of the most important competitions on network security skills with high participation rate throughout the globe.

AAA has had outstanding accomplishments in both domestic and international competitions. Domestically, AAA won the 2016 ZCFT Championship, the 2017 TCTF Rising Star Championship, the 2017 WHCTF Championship, and the 2017 Grand Championship for Challenge of Online Information Safety Management and Maintenance for Colleges and Universities.

Internationally, the team reached the final round of the SECCON CTF in Japan for both 2016 and 2017. AAA joined forces with Tencent, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University in the DEF CON CTF 25 Grand Finals, receivingthe third place among an elite group of 10 world-class teams. In 2018, AAA Team also reached the finals of Codegate CTF in Korea.

CFT prioritizes observation on participants’ network security skills, which include loophole discovery, code analysis, software reverse, electronic forensics and flow analysis. CTF requires that participants be well equipped with solid network security skills, strong fast-learning ability and stamina to maintain productivity throughout the long course of the race, serving the purpose of testing both their network security skills and vigor.

By: QIAO Liqing (Foreign Affairs Secretary, College of Computer Science and Technology); XU Weiqin (Student Journalist, Office of International Relations)