CTFs that teach solving CTFs
Capture the Flag (CTF) exercises are one of the better formats security learning has produced. Participants can work at their own pace, choose what to engage with, encounter real obstacles, and get immediate feedback when something works or does not. For learning technical skills, this is close to ideal. Most CTFs do not deliver on this potential. Not because they are badly designed, but because they are designed to do something else. Many optimise for engagement, competition, or recruitment. In that context, teaching people to solve CTF challenges is not a failure. It is the goal. ...