US Cyber Challenge: Cyber Quest March 2011

This contest is now closed. Congratulations to our winners!

Bonus Prize: As a special bonus, we are now offering an additional $200 in prize money to the person that beats the current high score of 29.33 or matches it in less than 1:49:48!

Welcome to the Cyber Quests portion of the US Cyber Challenge!

The USCC-sponsored Cyber Quests are a series of fun but challenging on-line competitions allowing participants to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of information security realms. Each quest features an artifact for analysis, along with a series of quiz questions. Some quests focus on a potentially vulnerable sample web server as the artifact, challenging participants to identify its flaws using vulnerability analysis skills. Other quests are focused around forensic analysis, packet capture analysis, and more. The quests have varying levels of difficulty and complexity, with some quests geared toward beginners, while others will include more intermediate and ultimately advanced material.

The first quest in the series will be released on March 16, 2011 and will remain open for one week. It will feature a target website with numerous common vulnerabilities. Its associated quiz is designed for an intermediate skill level, and focuses on website and application configuration and implementation flaws, along with TCP/IP networking fundamentals.

A registered user is given information about the artifact to analyze, usually a URL for a target system or file to download. The artifact is available for analysis for the full week of March 16 through 23. Once each player starts the quiz any time during that week, he or she will have 24 hours to complete it. While players are given a full day for the quiz, the quests are designed to be completed in approximately one hour.

The first quest will be available from March 16, 2011 until March 23, 2011. You will have 24 hours from the time you begin the quiz to complete it, and you may only submit your answers once. If you do not submit the quiz within 24 hours of when you start, or by 11:59pm EDT on March 23, 2011 (whichever comes first), you will receive a zero. Winners will be determined based on who achieves the highest score in the shortest amount of time.

Prizes for this first quest will be awarded to the competitors with the top three scores:

• First place: $300
• Second place: $200
• Third place: $100

Are you ready for the challenge? Take the Cyber Quest challenge in March to hone your skills and prepare for the opportunity to attend a USCC Cyber Camp. The next quest in the series will be held April 18 through May 1, to compete for an invitation to one of the 2011 USCC Cyber Camps, which are scheduled throughout the summer around the country. Please visit the U.S. Cyber Challenge Website for details and locations.

U.S. Cyber Challenge is a division of the Center for Internet Security. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a national not-for-profit organization comprising three divisions: Benchmarking, Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and U.S. Cyber Challenge. Through its three divisions, CIS is responsible for the development and distribution of benchmarks that establish standards for the secure configuration of information technology systems, provision of cyber security for state, local, tribal and territorial governments, and the identification and development of potential talent for the cyber security workforce of the future.

For more information about Cyber Quests, please contact Karen Evans at kevans@uscyberchallenge.org.

Technical Support questions about the challenge should be directed to cyberquests@counterhackchallenges.com. However, please keep in mind that we will not give answers to the quiz itself.

PRIVACY STATEMENT:
All information will be used in connection with the activities associated with the US Cyber Challenge including statistical reporting for accounting of performance metrics regarding the participants.