Do and Don’t
The rules for the Hackers Challenge might be loosely defined, but strictly include the following:
Play the game ethically: You should not take any unfair advantage of other players. Here are some examples of things that will get you get you penalized or even disqualified from the game:
- Brute-forcing the scoring server
- Stealing flags from other players
- Sabotaging challenges to gain an advantage
Do not share flags: Players cannot share flags with each other, but hints and help to solve challenges is accepted.
Teamwork is allowed and even encouraged: You can collaborate with other people; however, there can only be one winner of the game. Choose your friends wisely, and remember: do not share flags.
Social engineering is ok: You can social engineer other players or the HC staff to get flags or hints as long as it is within the context of the Hackers Challenge.
Requirements
Here are additional things to keep in mind when playing the Hackers Challenge:
Username/Email address: You must register to the scoring server(s) with the same email address that you registered for SAINTCON.
Supported Systems: We can only guarantee that all the software you need to run locally will work on Ubuntu on X86 architecture. We will do our best to support all operating systems and platforms, but cannot make promises.
Stages
This contest will have two stages:
First Stage: The first stage is a qualifying competition for the final stage. You will be presented with a Jeopardy-like scoring board with progressive challenges sorted by categories. The value of each challenge is dynamic and their points change based on the number of people that solve the challenge. New challenges may or may not be added during the contest, but we will never remove challenges.
Only the top three players on the scoreboard will move to the final stage. In the case of a tie, the person that reached the tied point value earlier will move to the final stage. The first stage will start on Tuesday at noon and will end Friday at 7:00 AM. On Thursday at 10:00 PM, we will hide the board to spice things up. We will notify the top 3 through Discord on Friday at 7:05 AM with instructions for the final stage.
Final Stage: The final stage will be an in-person event with a new scoring board and new challenges. It will start at 8:30 AM and go until 10:30 AM. The person with the most points will be the winner. In the case of a tie, the person that reached the tied point value earlier will be the winner.
During the final stage, no help is allowed, including (but not limited to) social media, chats, texts, voice messages, etc. Failure to follow this rule could lead to penalties or disqualification.
Scoring
For each of the two stages, your final score will be the sum of all the points given by the challenges you solved. Each challenge will start at 1000 points. Some challenges will have a dynamic score that will be adjusted based on the number of solves for that challenge. Other challenges will have a static score that do not change.
Rule Violations & Penalty Guidelines
At any point during the contest, the SAINTCON Hackers Challenge admins reserve the right to disqualify and/or change scores of participants for any reason that upon our own judgement violate the game rules or participate in unprofessional conduct. We reserve this right without right of dispute or for any other reason we feel is appropriate or prudent.
Also be warned: We have ways of monitoring cheating, sharing of flags, and other shenanigans that might go on. Get away with it… Good for you! Get caught, your score will suffer.
