Rules

General Rules

Respect the Code of Conduct

All participants must adhere to the event's Code of Conduct, which should cover respect for others, harassment policies, and good sportsmanship.

Behavior and Fair Play

Participants are expected to act with integrity and respect. Cheating, including using unauthorized tools, exploiting vulnerabilities outside the provided challenges, or sharing solutions, is strictly prohibited. While creativity is encouraged, anything that provides an unfair advantage or goes beyond the intended scope of the challenge will be considered cheating. This includes bypassing rules or engaging in social engineering.

Any disputes about the definition of cheating should be directed to event staff, whose decisions are final. Disrespectful behavior toward staff, volunteers, or other participants will result in removal from the event. We strive for a fair, enjoyable experience for everyone, and expect all players to contribute to that goal.

Teams and Collaboration

Players are allowed to be on only one team.

Each team must adhere to the max member limit set by event staff in the CTF portal. While we encourage resourcefulness, "ghost members" — contributors who are not listed on the official team roster — are not allowed. These unlisted contributors are considered an unfair advantage and will result in team disqualification.

Collaboration is only allowed within your own team. Sharing answers or flags between teams is strictly prohibited.

Respect the Environment and Participants

Any form of harassment, cheating, or unethical behavior will not be tolerated. Violation of these rules may lead to disqualification.

No Sabotage or Griefing

Do not interfere with other teams' progress, exploit event infrastructure, or otherwise engage in behavior that would disrupt the event.

No Unauthorized Attacks

Only engage with the designated CTF infrastructure. Do not attempt to attack or probe other participants' systems, event networks, or non-CTF-related services. Any attempt to disrupt the event infrastructure will result in immediate disqualification.

No Automated Tools Unless Specified

Use only the tools and techniques allowed by the event rules or challenge guidelines.

Do not use automated tools unless they are explicitly allowed and mentioned for a specific challenge.

Reporting Vulnerabilities

If you find a vulnerability in the CTF infrastructure, report it to the organizers immediately rather than exploiting it.

Do not disclose vulnerabilities publicly or to other teams.

Scoring and Submissions

Flag Submission

Each flag can be submitted once by the team. Duplicate or multiple submissions by the same team will be disregarded.

Flags must be submitted through the designated CTF platform.

Flag Format

Flags will follow the format HTH{sample_flag_here}, unless otherwise specified. Do not attempt to forge or create fake flags. Points are awarded only for validly obtained flags in the correct format.

Points and Scoring

Each challenge is assigned a point value based on difficulty. Teams will earn points for each valid flag.

A real-time leaderboard may be available, but final scores will be subject to review by organizers.

Challenge Hints

Some challenges may include optional hints, which may reduce the total points awarded for a flag if used.

Be mindful of the point trade-off when using hints.

Tiebreakers

In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined based on the timestamp of the last flag submission. The team with the fastest completion will be placed higher.

The Final Word

Organizer Decisions Are Final

The organizers reserve the right to disqualify any team or participant for any reason. Don't give'm a reason.

All scoring and final decisions by the organizers are binding

HTH{I_read_and_agree_to_da_rules}