The Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub is thrilled to host the virtual launch of a new report, “Capture the (red) flag: An inside look into China’s hacking contest ecosystem” on Friday, November 8th at 2:00 p.m. ET.

In this report, Hub Nonresident Fellow Dakota Cary and Center for Security Studies Senior Researcher Eugenio Benincasa explore how the Chinese government fosters a robust talent pipeline and ecosystem for cybersecurity through capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions (the predominant form of hacking competitions) hosted by government ministries. These hacking competitions spur cybersecurity talent development and innovation to transfer China into a cyber powerhouse.

As part of this project, Cary and Benincasa also created a CTF competition tracker that presents data on 54 annually recurring hacking competitions in China.

In this event, our panel will discuss China’s cybersecurity environment and how the United States and its allies can draw on lessons learned from China’s capture-the-flag ecosystem to enhance domestic cybersecurity, fostering additional talent and development as we face ever-increasing pressure from China’s state-sponsored cyber intrusions.

The discussion will take place virtually. You can also view the event on the Youtube link above, on X (Twitter) or on Facebook. To RSVP, please register via the registration box on this page.

Keynote Remarks

Jessica Ruzic
Deputy Associate Chief of Policy
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Featuring

Eugenio Benincasa
Senior Researcher, Cyberdefense Project, Risk and Resilience Team
Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich

Devin Thorne
Principal Threat Intelligence Analyst for China Geopolitics
Recorded Future

Anastacia Webster
Academic Engagement Branch, Stakeholder Engagement Division
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Moderated by

Didi Kirsten Tatlow
Senior Reporter, International Affairs
Newsweek

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global China Hub
Atlantic Council

Opening remarks by

Read the report

Virtual creative lock symbol and microcircuit illustration on flag of China and blurry cityscape background. Protection and firewall concept.

Report

Oct 18, 2024

Capture the (red) flag: An inside look into China’s hacking contest ecosystem

By Dakota Cary and Eugenio Benincasa

China has built the world’s most comprehensive ecosystem for capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions—the predominant form of hacking competitions, which range from team-versus-team play to Jeopardy-style knowledge challenges.

China Cybersecurity

Global China Hub

The Global China Hub researches and devises allied solutions to the global challenges posed by China’s rise, leveraging and amplifying the Atlantic Council’s work on China across its 15 other programs and centers.

Atlantic Council TV

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