{"id":112184,"date":"2025-07-15T09:36:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T16:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/?p=112184"},"modified":"2025-07-15T09:36:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T16:36:42","slug":"let-the-games-begin-how-cybersecurity-competitions-build-skills-careers-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/let-the-games-begin-how-cybersecurity-competitions-build-skills-careers-and-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Let the Games Begin: How Cybersecurity Competitions Build Skills, Careers, and Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The arcade is no longer ours, under attack from its own AI. Screens flicker with sentient static. The arcade’s laser power supply is failing; the power supply diagnostics are showing errors in everything from surge control to cooling functions. But, not all hope is lost: The laser power supply service and terminal both use PowerShell for operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time to flex my command-line kung fu. Follow the breadcrumbs, get all parts of the puzzle together, hash-out files, and perform forensics to backtrack the changes. Win the race to terminate all evil processes, reverse all changes in the right order, and finally, succeed at powering up our arcade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I leaned back from my keyboard. This wasn\u2019t a Five Nights at Freddie\u2019s-style dystopia\u2014this was Sans Core NetWars<\/a>, a prestigious, invite-only cybersecurity tournament\u2014and my team won the 2024 Tournament of Champions<\/a> last year.\u00a0This year’s theme, defeating a rogue AI in an arcade, has me feeling inspired. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Call it a recursive function, but we had AI generate an image of the evil AI. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Held annually at the SANS Cyber Defense Initiative in Washington, D.C., NetWars challenges participants with a series of escalating scenarios that test a wide range of skills, from digital forensics to malware analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My name is Manuel, and I\u2019m a Cloud Security Architect at Backblaze. Not every <\/em>part of my job is all fun and games, but tournaments like NetWars have long been an important part of the cybersecurity industry. Let\u2019s talk about why, and how, they help solve what is arguably the biggest persistent vulnerability in the cybersecurity industry\u2014attracting, identifying, developing, and maintaining top talent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are cybersecurity tournaments?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The concept of cybersecurity competitions dates back to 1996 with the introduction of the capture the flag (CTF) event at DEFCON, one of the world’s largest hacker conventions. This event set the stage for numerous other competitions, and these days, cybersecurity tournaments and competitions have cultivated a vibrant community where top experts not only showcase their technical prowess, but also stay up-to-date with evolving trends in the industry<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Manuel in front of the leaderboard after winning the SANS Core Netwars Tournament of Champions 2024. Source.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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What are the challenges to finding talent in the cybersecurity industry?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finding top cybersecurity talent is one of the most persistent challenges in the tech industry. The field moves faster than job descriptions with attack techniques, tools, and frameworks evolving constantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only that, but \u201ccybersecurity\u201d isn\u2019t one skill\u2014it\u2019s a collection of disciplines: network security<\/a>, cloud infrastructure, threat hunting, incident response, forensics, red teaming, compliance, and more. Finding someone with both broad knowledge and deep expertise in one or two areas is rare. Top candidates tend to specialize, and hiring managers often need a \u201cSwiss Army knife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do tournaments help to solve that?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cybersecurity tournaments like the SANS NetWars Tournament of Champions play a crucial role in advancing the field. They not only provide a platform for professionals to hone their skills but also contribute to building a resilient and collaborative cybersecurity community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may seem like \u201cjust a game\u201d, but it\u2019s more than just a fun activity taking place over a few days\u2014tournaments contribute to things like: <\/p>\n\n\n\n