Get ready for
Guardians 2025
In this year’s CTF competition, students will dive into a one-of-a-kind game simulator, defending Sweden’s energetic infrastructure from relentless attacks of a foreign power. Do you have what it takes? Register now and compete for your chance to become a digital Guardian.
In this year’s CTF competition, students will dive into a one-of-a-kind game simulator, defending Sweden’s energetic infrastructure from relentless attacks of a foreign power. Do you have what it takes? Register now and compete for your chance to become a digital Guardian.
Qualification
Virtual
20 Jan. – 5 Feb. 2025
Prove your skills from anywhere in the world—join our remote qualifiers and earn your place in the finals
Final Round
Sweden
19. feb 2025
Rise to the top—become a Guardian at the grand finale in Sweden!
Put your skills to the test in a blue-team Capture the Flag competition
Step into Guardians—where Digital Forensics, Incident Response, and Threat Hunting come alive in an action-packed, real-world scenario.
This isn’t just a game—it’s an immersive experience designed for aspiring and seasoned IT security professionals. Dive into a virtual enterprise network that mirrors the complexity of real-world businesses, complete with domain controllers, MS Exchange servers, firewalls, IDS, and more. Simulated users go about their day, sending emails, browsing the web, and using internal resources—while relentless cyberattacks lurk around every corner.
These attacks are crafted in collaboration with professional penetration testers and mirror real-world tactics used by elite APT groups. Your mission? Defend the enterprise, uncover threats, and sharpen your practical DFIR skills in the process.
Your questions answered
FAQs
How Can I Qualify?
The Guardians competition consists of two stages: a qualification round in the form of a Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge, and a final round where the top participants from the qualification advance. Anyone can enter the qualification round by registering at joinguardians.org/registration. After registering, participants will gain access to the game environment and will need to solve challenges by finding answers within our Elastic SIEM.
What Skills Do I Need?
The competition is designed for technical school students with a basic understanding of Windows and Linux operating systems, computer networks, and fundamental security concepts.
What Challenges Will I Face?
Qualification Round: Participants must investigate and analyze evidence of a past security breach, reconstruct the timeline of the attack, and identify the key indicators of compromise.
Finals: Participants will face a live attack on their virtual infrastructure. They will need to detect, contain, and recover from the attack while managing and monitoring SIEM systems. Tasks include making decisions on next steps while starting with full admin access to assigned systems, which may later be expanded or restricted.
Do I Need to Bring My Own Gear?
Qualification Round: Participants must use their own laptops, but no special tools are required.
Finals: Laptops will be provided by the organizers.
Can I Form a Team with Fellow Students?
Yes! You can form a team in CTFd, with a minimum of three members and a maximum of six. If your team qualifies for the finals but only meets the minimum number of members, you can request additional teammates from the pool of participants who ranked just below your team in the qualification round.
What Are the Prizes?
The winning team earns the title of Top Guardian, along with cybersecurity gadgets and other exciting rewards.
How Does the Scoring System Work?
Blue teams earn points for defense, analysis, and recovery efforts. At the end of the game, scores are tallied, and the team with the highest score wins.
Your questions answered
FAQs
How Can I Qualify?
The Guardians competition consists of two stages: a qualification round in the form of a Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge, and a final round where the top participants from the qualification advance. Anyone can enter the qualification round by registering at joinguardians.org/registration. After registering, participants will gain access to the game environment and will need to solve challenges by finding answers within our Elastic SIEM.
What Skills Do I Need?
The competition is designed for technical school students with a basic understanding of Windows and Linux operating systems, computer networks, and fundamental security concepts.
What Challenges Will I Face?
Qualification Round: Participants must investigate and analyze evidence of a past security breach, reconstruct the timeline of the attack, and identify the key indicators of compromise.
Finals: Participants will face a live attack on their virtual infrastructure. They will need to detect, contain, and recover from the attack while managing and monitoring SIEM systems. Tasks include making decisions on next steps while starting with full admin access to assigned systems, which may later be expanded or restricted.
Do I Need to Bring My Own Gear?
Qualification Round: Participants must use their own laptops, but no special tools are required.
Finals: Laptops will be provided by the organizers.
Can I Form a Team with Fellow Students?
Yes! You can form a team in CTFd, with a minimum of three members and a maximum of six. If your team qualifies for the finals but only meets the minimum number of members, you can request additional teammates from the pool of participants who ranked just below your team in the qualification round.
What Are the Prizes?
The winning team earns the title of Top Guardian, along with cybersecurity gadgets and other exciting rewards.
How Does the Scoring System Work?
Blue teams earn points for defense, analysis, and recovery efforts. At the end of the game, scores are tallied, and the team with the highest score wins.
Previous Editions
First Edition: Nuclear Powerplant Disaster
First Edition
Nuclear Powerplant Disaster
The simulation of an attack targeted the power generator of a nuclear power plant based on December 2015 events in Ukraine
Second Edition: Hospitals Under Attack
Second Edition
HOSPITAL UNDER ATTACK
A simulated attack in a hospital environment targeted patients’ health records, the hospital’s website, and smart-building technology
Third Edition: Presidential Election
Third Edition
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
In the run-up to the presidential elections in Slovakia, the scenario featured state-sponsored hackers targeting a presidential candidate’s staff to influence the elections.
Fourth Edition: Vaccine Research
Fourth Edition
VACCINE RESEARCH
With the world rushing to develop a vaccine in 2020, attackers were trying to hijack sensitive information and intellectual property.
Fifth Edition: Freedom of the Press
Fifth Edition
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
Malicious private and nation-state actors trying to hijack control over one of the pillars of modern democracy – media..
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