In March, we launched a new series of virtual, hands-on Capture-the-Flag (CTF) events and have since been delivering weekly cyber challenges to SANS students as well as the larger cybersecurity community for free.
We originally set out on a mission to offer these special interactive challenges through the end of May as a way to help individuals and organizations keep their cybersecurity skills honed during these unprecedented and difficult times. But with the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve received from our community (every event has sold out within 48 hours), we’re excited to expand the schedule with all-new weekly cyber challenges through the end of August; these include new cyber challenges for our student community in the Asia-Pacific region.
Upcoming Events
You’ll find our upcoming schedule of events below, organized into two tables – the first showcasing all the upcoming free community events and the second displaying all of the cyber challenges open to students enrolled in SANS training.
Please note: Registration will open on the Monday before each of these events. Bookmark this page and come back each week for updated information.
Free Community Events
These challenges are open to everyone at no cost. Each of the events in the below table is open to the first 1,500 registrants. You will need to have a free SANS Account to register and play.
The recent Mini-NetWars Mission 3 served as a qualifying round for the Global Cyber Ranges Competition that will be taking place during our Free Pen Test HackFest & Cyber Ranges Summit (June 4-5). Yep, that's right – it's a free summit, baby! Learn more about the Summit and register for that event here.
And check out the NetWars Hall of Fame to see who the winners were for the recent Mini-NetWars Challenges.
Note: Registration for the Best of Mini-NetWars CTF has now reached capacity.
Dates |
Event |
Time |
Registration |
May 28-29 |
Best of Mini-NetWars |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
Registration Full |
June 11-12 |
SANS CTF |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
Come Back Soon – Open June 8 |
June 25-26 |
Virtual Mini-NetWars Mission 4 or SANS CTF |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
Come Back Soon – Open June 22 |
July 9-10 |
Virtual Mini-NetWars Mission 5 or SANS CTF |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
Come Back Soon – Open July 6 |
July 16-17 |
SANS CTF |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
Come Back Soon – Open July 13 |
July 30-31 |
Virtual Mini-NetWars Mission 6 at the North Pole or SANS CTF |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
Come Back Soon – Open July 27 |
Aug. 13-14 |
Best of Mini-NetWars |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
Come Back Soon – Open Aug. 10 |
Aug. 27-28 |
SANS CTF |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
Come Back Soon – Open Aug. 24 |
Bonus Events for SANS Students
While we are thrilled to offer the events above to the entire community for free, we are also pleased to offer something special for students enrolled in a SANS course during the particular time frames listed below under “eligibility.”
This week we have two bonus events lined up for various student groups. Check out the first two lines on the table below.
Eligible students will receive an email the Monday before each event with an invitation to register, and registration will be made available from your SANS Account dashboard.
Dates |
Event |
Time |
Eligibility |
June 4-5 |
Virtual DFIR NetWars Tournament |
7pm-11pm EDT (11pm-3am UTC) |
First 1,000 students that have taken a course from March 1, 2020 to the present |
June 18-19 |
Virtual Core NetWars Tournament |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
First 1,000 students that have taken a course from March 1, 2020 to the present |
July 3-4 |
Virtual Cyber Defense NetWars Tournament |
4am-8am EDT (8am-12pm UTC) |
First 1,000 students from the Asia-Pacific region that have taken a course from May-August, 2020 |
July 23-24 |
Virtual DFIR NetWars Tournament |
5pm-9pm EDT |
First 1,000 students that have taken a course from March 1, 2020 to the present |
Aug. 6-7 |
Virtual Cyber Defense NetWars Tournament |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
First 1,000 students that have taken a course from March 1, 2020 to the present |
Aug. 20-21 |
Virtual Core NetWars Tournament |
1pm-9pm EDT (5pm-1am UTC) |
First 1,000 students that have taken a course from March 1, 2020 to the present |
Aug. 20-21 |
Virtual Core NetWars Tournament |
6:30am-10:30am EDT (10:30am-2:30pm UTC) |
First 1,000 students from the Asia-Pacific region that have taken a course from May-August, 2020 |
Past Cyber Range Events
- Virtual DFIR NetWars Tournament (May 21-22)
- Virtual Core NetWars Tournament (May 21-22)
- Virtual Mini-NetWars Mission 3 (May 14-15)
- Virtual Cyber Defense NetWars Tournament (May 7-8)
- Virtual DISC – SANS ICS NetWars Challenge (April 30)
- Virtual DFIR NetWars Tournament (April 23-24)
- Virtual Mini-NetWars Mission 2 (April 16-17)
- Virtual Core NetWars Tournament (April 8-9)
- Virtual Mini-NetWars Mission 1 (April 2-3)
- Cyber FastTrack (March 26-27)
- Virtual Core NetWars Tournament (March 19-20)
Why Now Is the Time to Challenge Yourself
In this time of social distancing, we want to provide the opportunity for people to come together to interact in a virtual environment, while learning and improving cyber skills in the process.
“As you know, these are difficult times,” said Ed Skoudis, SANS Fellow and Director of SANS Cyber Ranges. “But also, the attackers have really stepped up their game, and they’re doing some really nasty stuff. I mean, you think ‘Wow, this is a time when people should kind of band together and we should help each other.’ And that’s all true and good, but bad people are really bad.”
Because these bad actors have upped their game, SANS is leveraging its battle-tested platforms and infrastructure that it’s been perfecting over the last 18 years to deliver programs that not only keep our community engaged, but challenge cybersecurity pros to up their skills at the same time.
If you haven’t participated in a NetWars CTF event, you’re missing out on a super fun way to hone your skills. “CTFs are a tremendous learning vehicle,” Ed said – and he should know, Ed’s been playing CTFs for about 25 years now. “The SANS CTFs are especially nice because we have an integrated hint system, so if you get stuck, you can get some nudges, and that way you’re learning and teaching yourself as you go.”
One last point for those who will be participating and joining us in these challenges over the next few months: If you want to crush these CTFs, we’ve got just the resource to help you on your mission. Pick up some hot tips for crushing CTFs from superstar Katie Knowles in the below video.
