DETROIT—The automotive cybersecurity firms VicOne and Block Harbor announced they would lead an Automotive Capture the Flag (CTF) 2024 competition. This year’s high-stakes global CTF challenge, with more than $100,000 in prizes, is set to engage and educate cybersecurity enthusiasts of all skill levels, from newcomers with no experience to security practitioners from the automotive sector and other industries.
Virtual qualifying rounds run through Sept. 8, with in-person finals on Oct. 21, and the Awards Ceremony taking place Oct. 23 at the 2024 Auto-ISAC Cybersecurity Summit in Detroit, where Japan-based VicOne has established its U.S. operations.
The 2024 Automotive CTF allows cybersecurity researchers without a prior automotive background to learn automotive context through the online learning module and practice on previous years’ CTF challenges. All participants can expand their skills in automotive cybersecurity, despite their level of experience.
According to the 2023 Cybersecurity Workforce Study from ISc2, the nonprofit member organization for cybersecurity professionals, organizations are focusing on strategies for tackling the cybersecurity staff and skills shortages they face, as the workforce and demand for cybersecurity expertise continues to grow. ISc2 estimates the size of the global cybersecurity workforce at 5.5 million—a 9% increase from 2022, and the highest we’ve ever recorded. Conversely, the global workforce gap continues to grow even faster: The gap grew by 13% from 2022, which means that in 2023 there are roughly 4 million cybersecurity professionals needed worldwide. The profession needs to almost double to be at full capacity.
The Automotive CTF competition helps address the skills gap shortage in the automotive sector by gathering cybersecurity professionals of all levels, novices and experts alike, to upskill and broaden their expertise. Participants in this competition will not only solve challenges to “capture the flag” but also gain practical hands-on experience in real-world attack scenarios. This will also be an opportunity for them to join a growing automotive cybersecurity community focused on fortifying the future of connected cars.
“We are fostering strategic collaboration between the cybersecurity community and the automotive sector, and prompting vital synergies that benefit the connected vehicle industry,” said Max Cheng, CEO of VicOne. “This competition provides an arena for cybersecurity professionals and industry leaders to exchange ideas and develop innovative problem-solving strategies, and enables beginners to upskill their expertise and break into the exciting field of automotive cybersecurity.”
Added Block Harbor CEO Brandon Barry: “The competition is a unique CTF experience creating a stage for exceptional players to showcase their ability alongside newcomers that can learn without the typical barriers of entry. Together, Block Harbor and VicOne are creating a compelling, innovative and automotive-centric competition that tackles one of the largest pain points felt in every automaker and supplier, which is training and staff shortages due to the small number of practitioners in vehicle cybersecurity.”
Block Harbor is designing, conducting, and executing the competition through its Vehicle Security Engineering Cloud (VSEC) platform. As the Automotive CTF 2024 host, VicOne provides guidance, expertise and insight in the automotive cybersecurity sector, ensuring it aligns with the latest industry standards and best practices.
Visit the Automotive CTF 2024 events page for more information and to Register at: https://vicone.com/automotive-ctf.
For Automotive CTF 2024 Guidelines and Technical Rules visit: https://ctf.blockharbor.io/rules.
The CTF Awards will take place on Oct. 23 at the 2024 Auto-ISAC Cybersecurity Summit, in the MGM Grand, Detroit. A supporter of the 2024 CTF competition as an important educational challenge for automotive cybersecurity enthusiasts, Auto-ISAC brings together manufacturers, suppliers and other key stakeholders in the dynamic automotive ecosystem to build relationships that improve cybersecurity resilience for connected vehicles.
VicOne offers cybersecurity software and services that are purpose-built to address the rigorous needs of automotive manufacturers and. As a Trend Micro subsidiary, VicOne is powered by a solid foundation in cybersecurity drawn from Trend Micro’s 30+ years in the industry, delivering unparalleled automotive protection and deep security insights that enable our customers to build secure as well as smart vehicles. For more information, visit vicone.com.
Troy-based Block Harbor was established in 2014 in direct response to the Jeep Hack—the moment the industry took notice to the risk of cyberattacks to vehicles. Block Harbor’s platform, the Vehicle Security Engineering Cloud (VSEC), combined with Block Harbor’s services and its Vehicle Cybersecurity Labs offer products and services tailored for the mobility ecosystem. Learn more at blockharbor.io.