The Codebreaker Challenge consists of a series of tasks that are worth a varying number of points based upon their difficulty. Schools will be ranked according to the total number of points accumulated by their students.
Solutions may be submitted at any time for the duration of the Challenge.
This year the tasks are strictly sequential, and one must be solved before the next one becomes available.
Each task in this year's challenge will require a range of skills. We need you to call upon all of your technical expertise, your intuition, and your common sense.
Good luck. We hope you enjoy the challenge!
While US military network defenses remain among the most sophisticated in the world, they face constant pressure from determined adversaries. Advanced foreign adversaries continuously seek intelligence on US military capabilities, research programs, and operational systems to bolster their own combat effectiveness and strategic cyber positioning. These threat actors persistently probe for access, looking for opportunities to infiltrate, exfiltrate, and advance their own technical capabilities.
A security operations center (SOC) at an Army installation has noticed unusual network activity and suspects an attack. It has requested assistance from NSA’s Cybersecurity Directorate.
The challenge content is a PURELY FICTIONAL SCENARIO created by the NSA for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES only. The mention and use of any actual products, tools, and techniques are similarly contrived for the sake of the challenge alone, and do not represent the intent of any company, product owner, or standards body.
Any similarities to real persons, entities, or events are coincidental.