Summer School: AI & Cybersecurity CTF

500+ students. Four hours. One platform. Who solves the flag first? Summer School: AI & Cybersecurity CTF brings competitive hacking to Khalifa University with a twist—designed so every team member contributes, whether you're a seasoned red teamer or writing your first Python script.

You'll solve hands-on challenges across web exploitation, cryptography, reverse engineering, OSINT, and binary exploitation using live container labs that spin up real vulnerable environments on demand. No simulations, no trivia. SSH into a target, find the vulnerability, capture the flag. The Exploit3rs Hacking Dungeon powers everything—dynamic scoring rewards speed (first-blood 20% bonus), difficulty tiers let you pick your challenge level, and the live leaderboard freezes in the final stretch to keep the tension high. Staggered wave releases keep the competition momentum flowing from start to finish.

Whether you're building offensive skills for a red team role, sharpening your incident response mindset, or proving your capability to employers, this CTF gives you ranked proof. Your leaderboard placement and solve history become verifiable evidence of hands-on security skill—more concrete than any certification claim. Every challenge is modeled on real-world attack scenarios: the vulnerabilities are genuine, the exploitation is messy and real, and the learning is immediate.

Format: Team-based competition (form your squad on-site or beforehand), 4 hours, in-person at Khalifa University Main Campus. Completely free—no registration barrier, no card required. Challenges scale from foundational (build confidence) to advanced (chase the leaderboard top spot). Whether you're a penetration tester validating your toolkit, a SOC analyst crossing into red team thinking, or a student proving your worth before graduation, difficulty tiers meet you where you are.

Walk away with an automatically-issued certificate valid for 12 months—a formal credential you can add to LinkedIn, your CV, and job applications the day the event ends. More importantly: you'll have solved real exploitation challenges under pressure, earned a tangible ranking, and networked with 500+ students and security professionals doing the same thing.

Register now. Event: May 20, 2026, 03:00–07:00 UTC+4, Khalifa University Main Campus. Spots fill fast in team-based formats. Bring your laptop, your curiosity, and your competitive edge.