CougarCTF 2027: in-person, beginner-friendly capture the flag at Kean University

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In-person capture the flag · Spring 2027 · tentatively Sat, Jan 16, 2027 · College students only · hosted by NextGen Cyber

Your first flag starts here.

A beginner-friendly cybersecurity competition. Solve puzzles, uncover hidden flags, and learn something new with your team.

Pre-register for CougarCTF Explore the challenges

Pre-registration is open: hear the details first. Beginners welcome.

Tentatively Saturday, January 16, 2027 · the time is still TBA

Keanu’s field notesbriefing.log

keanu@kean ~/field-noteszsh

❯ cat event.txt

Name: CougarCTF 2027

Date: Tentatively Saturday, January 16, 2027

Venue: Kean University, Union campus (building and room TBA)

Teams: solo or up to 4

Eligibility: college students only

Cost: To be confirmed

❯ ls challenges/

web/ crypto/ forensics/ osint/ rev/ misc/ steg/

200 challenges. Beginner welcome: every category starts easy.

❯ cat getting-started.txt

Bring: laptop + charger

Team: solo, or bring up to 3 teammates

Experience: none required

❯ ./ready

Registration: pre-registration open, platform sign-up coming soon

[ready] Briefing complete.

Event briefing

Full transcript · scroll

When: Tentatively Saturday, January 16, 2027Time to be announced
Where: Kean University · Union campusBuilding and room to be announced
Your team: Solo or up to 4Bring friends or meet teammates
Who can play: College students onlyNo CTF experience required

Sponsors & partners

announcing soon

Interested in sponsoring?

200
Challenges
81 easy · 84 medium · 35 hard
7
Categories
Web, Crypto, Forensics, OSINT and more
400
Hints
Two on every challenge
40
Live targets
Real websites and servers to poke at

The idea is simple

A puzzle hunt.
A hacker’s mindset.

A capture-the-flag competition turns cybersecurity into a series of hands-on puzzles. Every challenge hides a secret string, called a flag.

Find one that looks like KEAN{you_found_it}, submit it, and watch your team climb the scoreboard. Curiosity is a good place to start.

01
Pick a puzzle
Choose a category that catches your eye. Open a file, inspect a website, or follow a clue.
02
Find the flag
Experiment, compare notes with your team, and use a hint when you need one.
03
Make it count
Submit the hidden flag to earn points. Then take what you learned into the next challenge.

Play fair. Only the challenge files and servers are in scope.Read the rules

Find your way in

Find your kind
of challenge.

200 challenges across 7 categories. Each category starts with beginner challenges, then gives you something deeper to try. Follow what interests you.

player@cougarctf:~$ ls ./challenges

Web
Poke at live websites and APIs. Cookies, headers, SQL injection, OAuth flows, WebSockets, and forms that trust you a little too much.
29 challenges · 11 easy · 13 medium · 5 hard
Crypto
Break ciphers, from Caesar and Vigenère up to XOR, RSA, block-cipher modes, hash collisions, and elliptic curves.
29 challenges · 12 easy · 12 medium · 5 hard
Forensics
Dig through disk images, packet captures, logs, email, archives, and browser history for what got left behind.
29 challenges · 12 easy · 13 medium · 4 hard
OSINT
Open-source intelligence. Follow a trail through usernames, photo metadata, domain records, and archived web pages.
28 challenges · 11 easy · 11 medium · 6 hard
Reverse Engineering
Take programs apart to see what they check: Python, Java, JavaScript, WebAssembly, Linux binaries, firmware, and tiny virtual machines.
28 challenges · 12 easy · 11 medium · 5 hard
Misc
Puzzles that don't fit a box. Scripting, encodings, git history, retro file formats, and logic puzzles.
29 challenges · 12 easy · 12 medium · 5 hard
Steganography
Find messages hiding in plain sight: images, audio, GIFs, QR codes, PDFs, and even printer dots.
28 challenges · 11 easy · 12 medium · 5 hard
Not sure where to begin?
Try a practice challenge One small solve is all it takes to get started.

Make a day of it

Meet. Solve.
Learn. Repeat.

Time to find teammates, chase a tricky clue, and swap those “how did you solve that?” stories.

Proposed schedule

Tentatively Saturday, January 16, 2027. Time, building and room: to be announced.
All times Eastern Time. Times are subject to confirmation.

9:30 AMCheck-in, Wi-Fi, team formation
10:00 AMOpening remarks and rules
10:15 AMCTF starts and challenges unlock
12:30 PMLunch (the clock keeps running)
4:45 PMScoreboard freezes, last call
5:00 PMCTF ends
5:15 PMAwards and solution walkthroughs

Ready when you are

Join in four steps.

Pre-register
Open to current college and university students (undergraduate and graduate), 18 or older. Join the list now and we'll email you when the date is confirmed and when registration on the CTF platform opens.
Pre-register
Form a team
Teams of up to 4, or play solo. Meet at check-in or find teammates on Discord.
Join the Discord
Announcements, team-finding and hints live there.
Join the server (opens in a new tab)
Play in Spring 2027
Tentatively Saturday, January 16, 2027. Time, building and room: to be announced. Every category starts with a beginner challenge.

A little head start

Grab your laptop.
We’ll bring the puzzles.

You don’t need to study to join. If you want to warm up, these free resources are a good first step.

Open the beginner guide

Before you join

Good questions.
Straight answers.

First CTF? You’re in good company. Here’s what to know before the day.

Ask in the Discord

Who can take part?

CougarCTF is for college students only. Open to current college and university students (undergraduate and graduate), 18 or older. You don't need any CTF experience, whatever your major.

I've never done a CTF. Can I still join?

Yes. That is who this event is for. Part I of every category starts with challenges you can solve with a browser and some patience, and every challenge has hints.

Do I need a team?

No. You can play solo, bring up to 3 friends, or find teammates at check-in or in the Discord. Teams are capped at 4.

Is it in person or online?

In person at Kean University's Union campus, tentatively Saturday, January 16, 2027. The time, building and room are still being finalized and will be announced here and on Discord.

What should I bring?

A laptop and charger. A browser is enough for many challenges. The Get Ready section lists free tools that help for the rest.

How much does it cost?

The cost is still being confirmed. We'll announce it before registration opens.

What does a flag look like?

Flags look like KEAN{some_text_here}. Paste the whole thing, including KEAN{ and the closing brace, into the challenge on the platform.

Can I use Google, ChatGPT, or other tools?

Yes, research tools are fine. What isn't allowed: sharing flags with other teams, attacking the platform, or attacking other players. See the full rules.

How does scoring work?

Easy challenges are worth a fixed 100 points and medium challenges a fixed 250. Hard challenges start at 500 and lose value as more teams solve them, down to 250, so cracking a hard one early pays off most. If two teams have the same total score, the team that reached it first ranks higher.

Is there a prize?

Prizes depend on sponsors and will be announced before the event.

There’s a first flag
with your name on it.

Pre-registration is open: join the list and hear the details first. CougarCTF is in person at Kean University's Union campus in Spring 2027 (tentatively Saturday, January 16, 2027), for college students only. The time, building and room are still to be announced; they will be posted here.

Pre-registration openPre-register for CougarCTF Try a practice challenge Join the Discord

Help students discover what they can do.Become a sponsor

COUGAR{CTF}

Sponsors & partners

A puzzle hunt.A hacker’s mindset.

Pick a puzzle

Find the flag

Make it count

Find your kindof challenge.

Web

Crypto

Forensics

OSINT

Reverse Engineering

Misc

Steganography

Meet. Solve.Learn. Repeat.

Join in four steps.

Pre-register

Form a team

Join the Discord

Play in Spring 2027

Grab your laptop.We’ll bring the puzzles.