2024-07-20 –, Track 1
Capture the Flag (CTF) events have become a popular format for ethical hacking competitions, offering participants invaluable opportunities to practice and hone their cybersecurity skills. With the release of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot, the question now is: Can ChatGPT solve CTF challenges?
CTF competitions offer an interactive environment to promote cybersecurity education, allowing students to gain hands-on experience solving cybersecurity challenges in a fun but controlled environment. One such initiative is the Cyber Security Challenge (CSC), first introduced in 2017 and organised by the South African National Research Network (SANReN). However, the emergence of ChatGPT has raised concerns regarding the possible influence of technology on the learning ability offered by CTF events. ChatGPT presents the capability to instantly respond to various text-based questions following a conversational approach. The typical style of CTF challenges usually follows a question-answer format, which offers students the ideal opportunity to enlist the assistance of ChatGPT.
This talk will briefly discuss the ability of ChatGPT to solve CTF challenges.
Questions to consider:
- Are structural changes required to CTF challenges?
- Should ChatGPT be permitted or even encouraged?
Heloise Meyer is currently employed as a senior member of the CSIRT within the SANReN group that forms part of the NICIS center at the CSIR. She completed her PhD Computer Science degree in 2019, with a focus on identifying the authenticity of smartphone data. Her interests include digital forensics, mobile security and cyber security.