The Security Team of Técnico (STT) will compete in CSAW final competitions for the fourth consecutive time. The team competed remotely with the best European teams in the Capture the Flag (CTF) qualification round and ranked 5th among 94 European teams.

“Competing with the best qualifying teams is motivating. It’s exciting to think that every time we qualify for final competitions we have a better chance of winning”, says Nuno Sabino, STT member. Although this is the fourth consecutive time the team qualifies for CSAW finals, “it is still rewarding to reach our goals”, says Bruno Mendes, another member of STT.

STT usually stands out in cryptography challenges, and this time was no exception. “We solved all cryptography challenges, but we were also very close to solve all challenges in the other categories. I think we were a very effective team”, recalls Nuno Sabino. This good performance results from “training weak points in order to have proficient players in all categories”.

This year, the team had to overcome the difficulties of remote participation. “Most of the time we solve challenges in small groups, which becomes more difficult when we are not together. We also miss social interaction before, during and after competitions. However, we have managed to adapt ourselves to the situation as best as possible”, says Baltasar Dinis, STT member.

The CSAW online final competition takes place from 5th to 8th November. The experience the team has been gaining in recent years, in this competition and in other ones, may be important at this stage of the competition. “First of all, every time we participate in an event – qualification round or final competitions – we improve our knowledge on a personal level and, consequently, our collective knowledge as a team. Secondly, once we have already participated in final competitions, we are able to anticipate possible difficulties”, points out Manuel Goulão.