We are thrilled to announce that Savage Submarine, our Early Warning® Capture-the-Flag (CTF) team, secured first place in this year’s CMD+CTRL CTF competition, held in Las Vegas at DefCon, the largest cybersecurity conference in the world.
DefCon is the annual hacking convention that brings together top security professionals from around the globe. Held in Las Vegas, it’s a unique environment where cybersecurity experts showcase their skills, exchange knowledge, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in the field. From lectures and workshops to competitions like CTFs, DefCon is where the brightest minds in cybersecurity come together to tackle the toughest challenges.
Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions are a staple at hacking conventions like DefCon. These events are highly competitive, with teams pitted against one another in a race to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in systems. Over the course of 3 days and long, grueling hours, teams analyze weaknesses, break into systems, and gain unauthorized access—then exploit these vulnerabilities to find hidden “flags” or sensitive information, with points being awarded based on the number and severity of vulnerabilities accessed.
This year, over 100 international teams competed in a series of scenarios focused on web application and API security. These challenges covered a wide range of advanced topics, including Structured Query Language (SQL) injection, multi-step cross-site scripting (XSS), reverse engineering, password cracking, post-exploitation, privilege escalation, business logic flaws, and more.
Savage Submarine’s Path to Victory
Our Savage Submarine team, composed of some of the sharpest minds in cybersecurity, demonstrated exceptional skill, determination, and teamwork throughout the competition. They tackled each challenge with precision and ingenuity, earning top honors through their relentless effort. The team’s ability to adapt quickly, think creatively, and collaborate effectively was critical to their success.
“The hacking skills required to do well at the CMD+CTRL CTF are well aligned with the skills we employ to protect Early Warning every day.” -Michael McCambridge, Principal, Security Threat Management
Savage Submarine has a rich history in CTF competitions. Formed in 2016, the team quickly established itself as a formidable force in the cybersecurity community. With each competition, they have honed their skills, winning 5 competitions since first participating and coming in 2nd place the other 4 years.
Congratulations to all the members of Savage Submarine for their outstanding performance and for bringing home the win! Their achievement exemplifies our core values of winning as one and making big things happen. As we look to the future, we are excited to see what new heights Savage Submarine will reach and what innovative solutions they will bring to the table in the world of cybersecurity.
Savage Submarine Team Members:
- Michael McCambridge – Principal, Security Threat Management
- Ian Guile – Lead Red Team Engineer
- Joe Hesse – Lead Offensive Security Engineer
- Brandon Conde – Lead Offensive Security Engineer
- Richard Rohrkemper – Senior Offensive Security Engineer
- Jason Marcello – Senior Offensive Security Engineer
- Ashton Richards – Senior Offensive Security Engineer
- Eric Ye – Associate Product Security Analyst
This victory not only marks a significant milestone for the team but also reinforces our organization's commitment to fighting fraud and protecting financial transactions.